


Little Miss Heropants

by FireTrooper113



Category: Freedom Planet (Video Game)
Genre: 2, Carol - Freeform, Drama, Fanfiction, Fiction, Freedom, Friendship, Hallucinations, Milla - Freeform, Nightmare, Planet, Tea, Trauma, basset, carol_tea, caroltea, freedom_planet, freedom_planet_2, freedom_planet_carol, freedom_planet_carol_tea, freedom_planet_lilac, freedom_planet_milla, freedom_planet_milla_basset, freedom_planet_sash_lilac, freedomplanet, freedomplanet2, freedomplanetcarol, freedomplanetcaroltea, freedomplanetfanfiction, freedomplanetlilac, freedomplanetmilla, freedomplanetmillabasset, freedomplanetsashlilac, lilac, milla_basset, millabasset, sash, sash_lilac, sashlilac
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:15:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 48,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22518346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FireTrooper113/pseuds/FireTrooper113
Summary: Lilac didn't survive Brevon's machinations without scars. Carol finds out and agrees to keep it a secret from Milla, becoming Lilac's only solace. Fortuitously, Lilac receives an opportunity to get the help she needs. But our girls soon find themselves in over their heads once more, and as Lilac grows more desperate, Carol must do what she can to keep her from going over the edge.
Kudos: 10





	1. Hide

**Author's Note:**

> I suppose now is as good a time as any to post this here.

Rain bombarded a tree-house in the middle of Dragon Valley, its two occupants slept unaware. A pink dragon occupied the top bunk of a bunk bed inside, and a younger cream colored basset hound slept in a smaller bed in the far corner of the room. Nobody occupied the bottom bunk. For a time, nothing disturbed the two young girls as they slept.

But then the dragon began to stir, she twitched and gasped in her sleep as she began tossing and turning. It didn't take long for her to start hyperventilating, tears leaked as she clawed at her sheets. After a few more seconds of panicked thrashing, her eyes snapped open with a sharp gasp. Her gaze darted around the room as she struggled to catch her breath. She quickly turned her attention to the hound sleeping in the far corner of the room, the sight of her seemed to calm the dragon down. Eventually her breathing settled down as she wiped her tears away.

Too tired to sit up, she rolled over on her back, covered her eyes, and took a deep breath. She then let her arms drop before staring up at the ceiling dejectedly. It wouldn't have been the first time she had this nightmare, and it brought back bitter memories each time. She couldn't expunge them, they dominated her thoughts and brought tears to her eyes.

Before she could start full on crying however, the hound began to stir. This prompted the dragon to turn away so her face wouldn't be seen. She attempted to ignore her dark thoughts so she could keep her composure and remain silent, but the more she tried to think of something else the more intrusive they became.

The hound stopped moving, a sign that all she did was turn over in her sleep. The dragon let out a quiet sigh of relief. But her resistance against her haunting memories faded, letting them completely consume her mind. She squeezed her eyes shut as more tears flowed, sniffs escaped her as she finally gave in to the urge to cry.  
At the very least, she'll eventually cry herself back to sleep, she hoped.

*****

The tree house sported a fairly modest kitchen, nothing flashy or expensive but nice enough to put together a decent meal. The dragon, having only been awake for an hour, was in the middle of preparing breakfast. Well, if you can call putting noodles in a microwave "preparing". While she waited, she leaned against the counter and sighed exasperatedly. Her nightmare left her drained and lacking much needed sleep.

A sudden beep from the microwave yanked her from her frustration. As she retrieved her cooked meal, small footsteps could be heard from upstairs. This brought a small smile to her face, though her happiness was still tempered by exhaustion. The basset hound from last night lazily made her way into the kitchen, rubbing discharge from her eyes.

"Morning, Milla," the dragon greeted. Milla blinked and looked back with a smile.

"Mm. Good morning, Lilac," she greeted back.

"You're just in time, I already made breakfast for you!" Lilac explained as she set the noodles on a small table.

"Thanks!" Milla responded gleefully. Both girls took their seats before Milla noticed something odd.

"Did you not make anything for yourself?" she asked. Lilac was briefly caught off guard, but quickly came up with a response.

"Its fine, I already ate before you woke up."

"Oh, okay!"

Milla turned her attention to her noodles. Chopsticks in hand, she took a whiff of her meal and smiled before digging in.

"Sorry it's nothing spectacular like Mayor Zao's sushi," Lilac commented. Milla shook her head in response.

"It's delicious!" the hound insisted before continuing her feast. Lilac rested her chin on her hand with a soft smile, her eyelids felt heavy and could only be held open halfway. Though still shaken by her nightmare, just spending time with Milla calmed the dragon down. It also helped that Milla didn't know about Lilac's current troubles, her innocent bliss supplied the normalcy Lilac needed to distance herself from said problems.

Suddenly, one of Milla's ears perked up and she stopped eating. Lilac's shoulders tensed as her smile faded, what did she hear? One of his leftover machines? Her worries instantly dissipated when the hound's tail started wagging enthusiastically.

"It's Carol!" Milla shouted as she practically leaped out of her seat and ran out of the kitchen. Lilac sighed in relief, but also mentally chastised herself for overreacting. Once she stood up, lightheadedness suddenly gripped her, making her lean on the table and grab her head. She gritted her teeth and groaned in discomfort, thankful that Milla had already took off and couldn't see her like this.

"Okay, come on, girl," Lilac told herself after shaking her head. Had to put on a healthy face for her friends.

*****

After climbing down the ladder leading up to her treehouse, Lilac turned and was greeted with the sight of Milla eagerly waiting, tail still wagging wildly. Still no sign of Carol, though. Lilac figured Milla must have heard her motorcycle.

"She's only been gone for half a day, Milla!" Lilac chuckled as she joined her friend.

"I know, I still missed her though," Milla responded. Lilac gave a wry smile. Before meeting Lilac and Carol, the only friend Milla had was a tree stump with a face carved in it. And recent exploits taught the trio not to take each other for granted.

The sound of a motorcycle engine finally reached Lilac's ears. Not a second later, the source of the noise blasted into view and came to a screeching halt just a few feet in front of Lilac and Milla; a green wild cat on a red and seemingly worn motorcycle.

"Hi Carol!" Milla shouted gleefully as she sprinted to her side. Carol dismounted her transport and gave Milla a warm smile.

"Hey, Milla. It's good to see you again!" she greeted. "Have you been taking care of Lilac while I was gone?"

"Yup!"

Lilac rolled her eyes, though unbeknownst to Carol or Milla herself it wasn't completely untrue.

"Tell me you got everything on the list," Lilac demanded in response to Carol's quip.

"Nice to see you too, Miss Heropants!" Carol replied with thinly veiled indignation, "Yeah, I got everything." She opened her bike's saddlebags, presenting bundles of groceries like some host on a gameshow. "And maybe a little more than we needed!"

"Wait, how much more?" Lilac asked, "We don't exactly bleed money, you know!"

"Just a little, I figured we deserve to spoil ourselves after saving Avalice from an alien warlord," Carol explained with a mischievous grin. Lilac crossed her arms and looked away.

"I guess…" she conceded. Being reminded of this "alien warlord" summoned unpleasant memories, making her pinch the bridge of her nose and sigh in exasperation. It took every ounce of self-control she had to maintain her composure.

"Lilac?" Carol inquired. Lilac looked back to see Carol staring at her worriedly. Caught off guard, the dragon opened her mouth to speak but nothing happened. Thankfully, Carol supplied the excuse she was looking for. "Hey, sorry. I didn't know this would bother you that much!"

"Oh no, its fine, just a little concerned is all. I don't think you spent too much," Lilac explained with a soft smile. Carol looked at her for a few seconds, making her anxious. Eventually, the wildcat shrugged.

"Well, if you say so."

*****

Later that day, the three girls gathered around the TV in the living room. With the lights off and the curtains closed, the only source of illumination was the TV itself. Carol sat directly in front with a video game controller in hand, Milla took the couch, and Lilac occupied the chair in the back of the room.

"Ugh, I've check every door in the mansion, but this key doesn't go anywhere!" Carol complained as she played.

"Can you use it on something in your inventory?" Milla asked, eyes glued to the screen.

"All I've got on me is ammo, I'd have to go all the way back to the storage room to check on the rest of the stuff we found!" Carol explained exasperatedly, "Hey, Lilac, you played this game before, right? Where the heck do I use this key?" After playing for a few seconds, Carol noticed Lilac not giving an answer. She turned around, neglecting to pause the game, and was taken aback by what she saw.

Lilac was resting her chin in her hand, though facing forward her gaze went off to the side. Her eyes only opened half way, making her look what Carol would call distressed.

"Lilac?" she called to her, a little louder than earlier. The dragon sat up strait, her eyes snapped open in alarm for a few seconds before she quickly composed herself. But Carol already saw it, in fact she could have sworn she felt it too; apprehension.

"What is it, Carol?" Lilac asked with a friendly smile.

"Are you alright? You looked kind of sad…" Carol pointed out.

"I did?" Lilac answered as she rubbed the back of her head, "I guess I'm just tired." Carol's ears drooped as she frowned, something was clearly bothering the dragon and here she was trying to act like everything was fine. They were supposed to be friends, right? Why was Lilac lying to her?

"Are you sure?" Carol insisted. Lilac's eyes suddenly narrowed in annoyance, making Carol perk her ears up again.

"Yes, I am," Lilac hissed aggressively. Carol leaned back for a second before donning a glare. Though concerned about her friend, she did not appreciate being talked to like that. Before she could talk back however, Milla interrupted her.

"Are you two fighting?" she asked worriedly. Both girls looked back at the basset hound, the sight of her frowning and hiding her face behind her knees made them soften their faces in guilt.

"No, we're okay. Everything's fine, Milla," Lilac assured her with a friendly smile. Carol wanted to press Lilac some more but decided to let it go for now, situations like this always made Milla uncomfortable.

"Yeah, we're cool," Carol said with a smile of her own as she suppressed her frustration. Lilac got up from her seat, catching Carol's attention again.

"I'm a little tired, think I'll just soak in the shower and change early," she explained, "You two have fun!"  
Carol frowned as she watched her leave, if she was going to interrogate Lilac, it would have to be without Milla around.

"Carol! Zombie!" Milla suddenly shouted. Back in reality, Carol's eyes widened in panic as she scrambled to pick up her controller. But by the time she looked back at the screen, it was far too late. The words "Game Over" filled the screen as her character fell victim to an undead abomination. Completely flabbergasted, Carol held her head with her mouth agape as she stared at the screen in disbelief. How could she die to a zombie, the lowliest enemy in the game!? Her character was at full health!

"Um, Carol?" Milla inquired quietly, as if diffusing a bomb, "When was the last time you saved?"

Carol's eye started twitching.

*****

As comfortable as a hot shower made her, Lilac still didn't feel any better. The sound of the water pattering against her and the shower floor drowning out any other noise in the house only served to further isolate her within her own thoughts. She had just finished cleaning herself, but she wasn't ready to head back out and put on a chipper face for her oblivious friends, so she just stood there and soaked.

What really bothered her at the moment was Carol, she almost had her pegged. Lilac couldn't count on Milla always being there to defuse Carol's attempts at interrogation, she'll have to do a better job at masking herself. It took so much effort though….

Suddenly, a dull noise echoed throughout the bathroom. Lilac tensed up and stood still as she listened. It seemed silly, but the thought of some creep being in the house took root in the back of her mind. For a while, nothing else happened, then she heard it again. It was louder this time, and clearly coming from somewhere in the bathroom.

Lilac felt a chill, she barely even felt the heat from her warm shower. A dreadful sense of déjà vu enveloped the dragon. She then shook her head and attempted to compose herself, if somebody did break in the room somehow, she could handle it. A plan came together in her head as she reached for the shower curtain. Her first instinct was to dragon boost the intruder, but that would probably damage the house too. A cyclone would probably be sufficient. She pulled the curtain back just enough to peek outside, not enough to give anyone outside a look at anything she didn't want them to see. Once she had a clear view, she couldn't help but be confused by what she saw.

Nothing.

This made no sense, where did that noise come from? Was she just going nuts? Suddenly, a malicious laugh boomed from right behind her. Lilac gasped and turned around, again seeing nothing. Her eyes widened in horror as her breathing became more erratic. She heard that laugh before, a soul shaking laugh that heralded dark times for her and her friends. It was his laugh.

"Before you decided to throw your life away and interfere with our mission, you should have asked yourself one very important question," a low and guttural voice suddenly said to her, just hearing it paralyzed her. "What makes you so special?"

He wasn't supposed to be here, he wasn't even supposed to be on Avalice! If he was here, what happened to Carol and Milla? And where is he? As her thoughts raced, Lilac noticed it becoming increasingly difficult to breathe. Eventually, she started desperately gasping for air, but no matter how much she inhaled it didn't feel like she was getting enough oxygen. It got to the point where it felt like her lungs were imploding from how much she was wheezing. The longer it went on, the more it scared her, and the more it scared her, the more it hurt.

Desperate, Lilac flung the curtain aside and scrambled out of the shower. She immediately leaned over the sink as she was no longer able to stand up on her own. Suddenly something gave and her wheezing was replaced by borderline violent coughing. Somehow, this broke her vicious cycle of suffocating and freaking out and she was able to get a satisfying breath. Her chest still hurt, but she finally felt like she was getting oxygen.

The voice Lilac heard came back to mind, making her turn around and quickly scan the bathroom. Again, there was nothing. The dragon sighed in relief as she palmed her forehead, it was all in her head. Still, this never happened before, it was as if the nightmares she's been having recently haunted her while she was awake.

With a defeated frown, Lilac decided her shower was over, so she returned to it and turned it off. A knock at the door made her jump, fortunately she covered her mouth quick enough to muffle her shriek.

"Lilac, are you okay?" her visitor asked from the other side, Lilac recognized the voice as Carol's, "I heard some weird noises!"

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine!" Lilac answered hesitantly as she reached for a towel, "Just got soap in my eyes." A moment of silence followed, then an exasperated sigh could be heard from outside.

"Alright, just checking," Carol replied before leaving.

Relieved, Lilac began drying herself off.

*****

Night had fallen, prompting the three friends to turn in. In the bottom bunk, Carol had ungracefully sprawled herself across her bed, snoring loudly after kicking her sheets off the bed in her sleep. Thankfully, the other two girls already fell into a deep enough sleep not to hear her.

But like last night, a deep sleep wasn't synonymous with a pleasant sleep for Lilac.

*****

"Why do you fight?"

Lilac didn't respond to her captor, she closed her eyes to pass herself off as asleep.

"I know you're awake. Answer the question. Why do you fight?" he demanded. His borderline demonic voice gripped her and forced a response. Though intimidated, Lilac glared at the monster with furious determination. His back was turned to her. Having strapped her to some machine encased in a glass tube, the alien warlord had no reason to fear his prisoner.

"For my friends," she told him defiantly, baring her teeth "I'll do whatever it takes to keep them safe from freaks like you." The warlord let out an amused laugh as he turned to face her, his dark smile made her uneasy.

"Keep them safe?" Lord Brevon repeated, "Every move you've made has put them directly in harm's way." His smile faded as he crossed his arms. "Destroying our property, assisting our sworn enemies, attempting sabotage against our mission which, by the way, has nothing to do with your world. We are leaving this barbaric planet behind as soon as our ship is repaired." Lilac's ire rose with each word he spoke. Is this guy for real?

"You forgot the part where you took our Kingdom Stone!" she shouted, "Where you ruined years of peace between my people and put thousands in danger!"

"An unfortunate side effect, yes," Brevon commented casually, completely unfazed by having his crimes called out, "But I wouldn't have resorted to such drastic measures if you had the common sense to stay out of our affairs. Thanks to you, your companions are in more danger than ever."

Lilac's glare faded as Brevon's words sank in. It troubled her that she couldn't disprove what he said. She could have let Torque handle this on his own and she wouldn't be here right now. But the Kingdom Stone played a critical role in sustaining Avalice's civilizations. Destroying it, as Torque said he'd possibly have to do so Brevon wouldn't have it, wasn't an option. Suddenly, Lilac's fit of self-justification was interrupted by something Carol said to her not long ago.

"Sometimes I think you're trying to get us killed!" she shouted at her.

Even Lilac's best friend found her heroics unnecessarily risky. Was she right? Was Brevon right? The only one saying otherwise was Lilac herself. She looked up at Brevon, who stared back at her with a ghoulish grin. Lilac already knew what he found amusing, he caught her in a moment of weakness.

"Allow me to show you the consequences of your stupidity," Brevon sneered. The warlord turned around and operated a console, opening a steel shutter on the wall and revealing the prisoner Lilac came here to rescue.

"Lilac!" Torque shouted. Restraints held him as two shade troopers acted as his escort.

"I had to do something!" Lilac said back to him desperately. She wasn't sure if she was talking to Torque, Brevon, an imaginary Carol, or herself.

"Answers, Commander. Give them to me," Brevon demanded from Torque. The commander lowered his gaze in an attempt to not make eye contact with him. Lilac didn't blame him. "Don't be a fool. You've seen how far I'll go to get the information I need."

"Don't tell him anything!" Lilac pleaded. She didn't know what Brevon was asking about, but it probably wouldn't do anyone any good if he got what he wanted.

Torque closed his eyes. Lilac could have sworn she detected shame from him. She couldn't fathom why, though. All of this was her fault. Getting Torque out of Shang Tu's prison just to be captured by Brevon, busting in to save him without thinking and getting herself caught, it was just one bad decision after another.

"Very well," Brevon said after a few seconds of silence, "Don't say I didn't warn you."

The alien warlord pressed another button on the console and turned to face Lilac. His ghoulish smile returned, filling the dragon with dread as the machine she was strapped to hummed to life. Whatever Brevon had planned for her, it was obvious he was going to enjoy it immensely.

Suddenly, Lilac went ridged as a hellishly agonizing sensation traveled through every nerve in her body. It grew more intense as time went on, drowning out her other senses and painting gruesome images in her mind. Flashes of light seeped its way through her closed eyelids. It felt as if her body was trying to rip itself apart, slowly, just for the sake of making her feel every tear and bone fracture. Eventually, she was able to make out a noise through the all-consuming agony, her own tortured screams. Another voice spoke up, but her screaming stymied her from hearing who it was or what they were saying. Lilac stopped caring about where she was, what she was doing, about anything. She just wanted the pain to stop.

Then there was nothing. Lilac's body finally went limp as the pain released its grip on her. She struggled to catch her breath as her awareness returned. Torque was now glaring at Brevon defiantly, but the latter's attention was fixed on Lilac, much to her terror after what he just did to her.

Still grinning like a madman, Brevon turned around and pressed the same button again, making Lilac's heart plummet like a rock. Why? Why was he doing this to her? Did he enjoy torturing her!? He's nothing but a deranged monster! She heard Torque speak but didn't pay attention. The machine hummed once more.

Again, her body stiffened and she screamed as her torture resumed. This time, Lilac was able to keep her eyes open long enough to see that she was being electrocuted, before her senses abandoned her to unimaginable agony. It was worse this time, she kept wanting to move but her restraints prevented her from doing so. Her back arched in response to her painful sensations, painting an image in her head of her spine snapping in half from bending too far. An unpleasant and sharp sent made its way to her nose. At first, she didn't know what to make of it. But since she was being shocked, all she could think it could be was the smell of her own burning flesh. Lilac's thoughts ceased, she had no refuge from the pain, no way to distract herself. Her mind went completely blank.

*****

Carol's ear twitched in response to a noise, making her open her eyes slightly in annoyance. At first she tried going back to sleep. But then she heard a loud bang above her. The wildcat sat up and her eyes snapped open in alarm. Still half asleep, it took her a bit to register the sound of someone crying hysterically. Once she fully woke up though, she instantly recognized who it was.

"Lilac?"

Carol fought through her grogginess as she climbed out of bed. She then climbed up so she could peek at the top bunk. What she saw next was nothing she ever expected to see. Lilac thrashed about in her sleep, kicking and screaming like some trapped animal as tears poured down her face. Carol's eyes widened before she scrambled onto the bunk and rushed to her friend's side.

"Lilac! Wake up!" she shouted after grabbing Lilac's shoulders and shaking her. Hardly anything scared Lilac. What could she possibly be dreaming about? Suddenly, Lilac's eyes snapped open. Before Carol could say anything, the dragon shoved her away with a startled shriek. The wildcat managed to catch herself before falling off the bunk.

Lilac sat up and stared at her with tear filled eyes while trying to catch her breath and stop herself from crying. Carol had never seen anything more pathetic in her life, and this was the last person she, and pretty much anyone, expected to see in such a state.

"Carol! I…" Lilac started before being interrupted by her own sobbing. Carol decided to give her space until she calmed down enough. Though curious about her friend's troubles, she didn't feel like getting smacked again. Eventually, the dragon's sobbing died down enough to where she could form coherent sentences.  
"I can explain," she managed to say.

"You better," Carol demanded as she moved closer and donned a glare, "And don't think 'I'm just tired' is going to cut it this time!" She sounded a little harsher than she intended, but frankly she was sick of being lied to by her best friend. There's no way she was getting out of this.

Lilac hesitated before looking over Carol's shoulder, making the wildcat do the same. They both looked at a somehow still asleep Milla. After a few seconds, they looked back at each other.

"Not here," Lilac requested.

*****

Lilac sat on the couch as she waited for Carol, her head supported by her arm. Needless to say, she was not looking forward to the inevitably awkward conversation to come. A million excuses formed in her head. However, with Carol both angry and sleep deprived, Lilac suspected there was no getting out of this. Eventually, the wildcat came in holding a glass of water, which she handed to Lilac.

"Thanks," the dragon said quietly before taking a sip. Her throat grew parched from all the stressful activity earlier. Carol took a seat next to her, her limbs tense as if trying to keep her from lashing out. Lilac could tell from her body language that she was frustrated, but the wildcat stared at her with contrastingly worried eyes. The combination filled Lilac with both guilt and dread.

"So," Carol started, "You going to tell me what's been going on with you?" Lilac hesitated. Eventually, she set her glass on the table and let her hands rest in her lap. Resolving to speak the truth, Lilac opened her mouth to speak but an automated response she grew use to repeating came out instead.

"Nothing. Everything is fine," she muttered, avoiding eye contact.

"So I guess that nightmare you had was 'nothing', right?" Carol replied indignantly, her tone growing more impatient, "'Nothing' made you scream and cry in your sleep? I didn't know 'nothing' could do that!"

Lilac didn't say anything. She just kept looking down in her lap. Discomfort and anxiety kept her from speaking up for herself. It was a relatively new feeling for the dragon, one she abhorred since she was used to being the fearless and assertive hero. But she lacked the energy for such behavior, so her response was uncharacteristically meek, almost a whisper.

"I'm sorry."

Even though Lilac meant it, it served as a painful reminder of her troubled state of mind. A few seconds of silence followed. Eventually Carol sighed before speaking again, this time in a much gentler tone than before, though Lilac could still sense frustration.

"Look, I'm not trying to be a jerk. But you've been acting really weird for a while now!" Surprised, Lilac finally made eye contact with her. Carol had moved closer to her, making this talk all the more uncomfortable. A glare found its way on the wildcat's face. "Staring off into space, getting upset over small stuff, snapping at me, now this nightmare. You're my best friend, I hate seeing you like this! Now will you please stop being Little Miss Heropants for two seconds and tell me what's wrong?"

"….I was that obvious, huh?" Lilac asked, half out of curiosity and half to delay the inevitable.

"General Gong could have picked it up," Carol commented flatly. Wrought with guilt, Lilac looked down again. She had no idea Carol was sensitive to such things. As if this situation couldn't be more messed up.

"Alright, I'll tell you everything," Lilac relented. She didn't immediately speak, however. The last thing she wanted was to talk about Lord Brevon, bad memories and what have you. As she sat there in silence, she felt Carol gently grab her hand, prompting her to make eye contact again. The wildcat's glare faded in favor of a more soft face and concerned eyes. The sight made Lilac almost want to cry, but she managed to choke it back, only letting out a cracked sigh instead. How could she be so stupid? Carol could have helped all along! This newfound form of trust gave Lilac the courage to finally tell her tale.

"I…uh…" Lilac said before clearing her throat, "Lately I've been thinking about Brevon."

"Brevon!?" Carol exclaimed, "Why think about that jerk at all?"

"I can't stop. At first I thought I was just shaken from what we went through trying to stop him. But it just…kept going…" Lilac took a deep breath as she recalled unpleasant memories, "Eventually, I started having nightmares about what happened. Every night."

"That doesn't sound normal," Carol said worriedly. Lilac shook her head in agreement. A sniff escaped her as she felt her eyes growing moist. The memories came back again, embedding themselves in her mind and filling her with dread. Still, she pressed on with her story.

"I tried to not think about Brevon, but those nightmares keep reminding me of him," tears finally started flowing as her voice cracked, "I'm sorry…I…" Lilac's breathing got out of control as sobbing began to set in, despite her best efforts to keep it down.

"But it's okay, though!" Carol interrupted, putting on a cheery face, "We beat Brevon all the way back to Planet Jerkbuttwhatever! He can't touch us!"

"I'm not finished," Lilac replied grimly, having managed to choke down her crying for the time being, "Something new happened yesterday while I was in the shower. I actually heard Brevon talking to me."

"What? But…that's not…"Carol trailed off, seemingly baffled by what she was hearing. Lilac kept talking as best she could.

"It was like he was right behind me, I could practically feel his breath on me," she hiccuped as her crying threatened to overtake her again, "Carol, I'm scared. I think I'm losing my mind!" It grew more difficult for Lilac to control herself. Carol's company did help some, but Brevon's venomous words still haunted her.

"You probably don't want to answer this, but I want to know," Carol said quietly, as if something would explode if she wasn't careful, "What happens in your nightmares? What does he do to you?" Lilac's words became trapped in her throat. Carol was right, she didn't want to answer.

"Well…" Lilac hesitated, taking in a shaky breath before continuing, "They're usually about things Brevon did to us. But he says it's my fault all those things happened. I keep telling myself otherwise, that I had to stop him. But I was the only one who really wanted to, I dragged you and Milla along with me and look what happened to us! You nearly die in a cave in, Torque gets captured, I get tortured, and Milla mutates into some kind of monster. Brevon was right, it's all my fault!"

No longer able to speak coherently, Lilac held her head as she lost control of herself once more. Brevon's words from her torture echoed in her head. Oblivious to the world around her, Lilac desperately attempted to drive the extraterrestrial lunatic from her mind, to no avail. Suddenly, she felt something warm lean on her and embrace her, she guessed it was Carol. Desperate for some form of relief, Lilac leaned on Carol as she cried her eyes out. Carol didn't seem the touchy feely type, but Lilac didn't care to question it, she'll take it.

The dragon stopped crying after a few seconds, pulling away from her friend so she could get a good look at her. Carol had a face Lilac didn't see since the wildcat came to her rescue after being tortured. Somehow, Lilac found it both soothing and troubling at the same time.

"What happened to us really sucked, but I had no idea it got to you like this," Carol commented, placing a hand on Lilac's shoulder, "Why lie about it?"

"I thought it would go away after a while, that it was no big deal," Lilac answered, finally calming down, "But then I started having nightmares and the memories just kept coming back again and again. I can't just move on like you and Milla. If Brevon comes back for some reason…I don't know what to do."

"He's not here, Lilac. We need to focus on you," Carol interjected, gently grabbing Lilac's arms and staring into her puffy eyes, "Whether or not you want to fight Brevon or any other nut-job that comes our way, you're way to messed up to do anything about it right now! So enough of this 'I' stuff, forget about being Ms. Heropants for a little while. You're not alone, let me help you."

Lilac already came to this revelation earlier in the conversation. But to hear it from Carol herself, it warmed the troubled dragon's heart to the point where she couldn't help but smile.

"Alright," she replied, "I'm sorry for lying to you." Carol smiled back and released her grip on the dragon.

"Just don't do it again," she instructed, "Whenever you feel weird, you come to me. No more of this moping around, okay?"

"Yeah."

"And until we figure out how to give those nightmares the boot, don't let what Brevon said get to you. He has no power over you."

"I'll try," Lilac said as her smile faded, "But it's hard."

"It probably is if you can't deal with it by yourself," Carol commented before yawning, "Can we go back to bed now?"

"Sure."

Carol started stretching before getting up. This gave Lilac the perfect opportunity to grab her friend and pull her into a hug. She knew Carol hated stuff like this, but after all that there was no way the wildcat was getting away without a hug.

"Thank you," Lilac said softly.

"Uh, yeah. No problem," Carol replied as she awkwardly returned the hug, "So….can you let me go now, please?"

"Nope."


	2. Deal

No. Go away sunlight, Carol doesn’t want to get up yet. Curiously enough, the sunlight didn’t care. Carol stretched with a defeated groan. She usually needed to stay in until about lunch or so in order to be in a good mood, and with what happened with Lilac last night...

Lilac!

Carol ‘s eyes shot open as she scrambled out of bed. Memories from last night came flooding back; screaming, crying, lying, fear, depression. Have to check on Lilac, gotta make sure she’s okay. Once Carol climbed up to the top bunk, a relieved sigh escaped her as she set eyes on a peacefully sleeping Lilac. 

Lilac lay on her side facing Carol, hair tendrils draped over her sleeping form. Her chest steadily rose and fell with her normal, non panicked breathing. This sight put a small smile on Carol’s tired face. No nightmares, no Brevon, just a sleeping dragon. 

Last night still happened, though. Lilac still isn’t herself. These thoughts took Carol’s smile away and made her gaze drop. Unpleasant images intruded her head, images of Lilac trembling, weeping, afraid, frail.

Lilac. Frail. 

Those words don’t belong in the same sentence. Just the thought of it made Carol bare her teeth and dig her claws into the bed. A sudden sound prompted the wildcat to look back up and retract her claws, her shoulders tensed and her eyes became laser focused on Lilac. If anything happens, Carol’s here to diffuse it. Yet, all that happened was Lilac turning over in her sleep. Carol remained still for a few seconds, alert for any sort of disturbance. 

After a few seconds of nothing, Carol sighed dejectedly and removed herself from the bed. No way is she getting back to sleep now, might as well get on with the day.

*****

Carol couldn’t help but notice the living room felt different as she lay on the couch. Before, all that happened in here were movie nights, video game marathons, the occasional argument over who’s turn it was to get groceries, etc. 

Now it’s the room where she discovered her best friend suffers from PTSD. Awesome. 

The wildcat let her arm lazily drape over her face. So much for getting on with the day, she couldn’t even bring herself to get up and make breakfast. As hungry as she is, making breakfast requires work. You know, they say you shouldn’t handle machinery while you’re tired, ovens and microwaves are machinery. Carol decided it’s for her own safety that she doesn’t get up from her cozy couch and make breakfast for herself. 

Content with her decision, Carol reached for the remote and turned on the TV.

"And now for Tri Kingdom News, with Maria Notte!" a bombastic announcer cheered. The screen then changed to a young bat girl with a microphone standing in front of what appeared to be a protesting crowd.

"This is Maria Notte, reporting live from outside the Shuigang Palace!" the bat anchor reported, having to shout over the angry crowd behind her. "As you can see, thousands of people have gathered here to protest the coming talks between Shuigang and the leaders of the other two neighboring kingdoms, Shang Tu and Shang Mu."

People are actually against peace talks? Carol thought. As if she wasn't depressed enough. She decided against watching TV and turned it off, cutting off the anchor lady.

"However, these talks have been complicated by the disappearance of Prince Da-..."

Carol’s ears twitched; someone’s coming downstairs! After a few seconds, she could make out Lilac and Milla talking in the next room, prompting her to sit up and look expectantly at the doorway. Her arms tensed as she gripped the couch, not knowing what to expect from Lilac right now, or Milla for that matter. The wildcat took a deep breath and allowed herself to relax, can’t look nervous in front of Lilac after what just happened. To sell it, she leaned back and let her arms rest on the head of the couch. 

*****

“I think this is the first time Carol woke up before us!” Milla commented as she made her way into the kitchen with Lilac in tow. 

The dragon stopped by the table and leaned on one of the chairs, gritting her teeth as an oppressive pressure formed in her head. She quickly stood up straight and put on a smile, mentally cursing as she swayed slightly. The amount of effort it took for Lilac to not sound tired strained her throat.

“Well, I doubt she made breakfast for herself.” 

Milla nodded in agreement before turning to face her. Lilac’s heart gave an irregular beat, yet she remained composed. Somehow, the adrenaline from nearly being discovered gave her the boost she needed. 

Milla’s nose gave a sudden twitch, pulling her attention elsewhere. She then smiled and made her way out the kitchen. Lilac sighed and let herself hunch slightly before following her, just being alone in a room for a couple seconds put her on edge; the hallucination from yesterday still stuck with her. Lilac gave an apprehensive glance over her shoulder, feeling as if she’ll hear that guttural voice behind her any moment now.

Get moving.

Lilac soon found herself in the living room, and was greeted with the sight of Milla approaching Carol. The wildcat casually sat on the couch.

“Good morning, Carol!” Milla greeted as her tail wagged lazily. Carol smiled before responding.

“Yo.”

Carol then turned her gaze to Lilac. The second their eyes met, Lilac recalled what happened between them last night. The trust she felt returned in force, filling her chest with warmth and prompting her to give a small smile, the first genuine one she gave today. It seemed to do something to Carol too, her eyelids and ears drooped slightly as her own smile softened. 

“Hey, Lilac,” the wildcat greeted, her voice gentle and soothing. Lilac guessed her tone wasn’t intentional, but her warm feeling amplified none the less, widening her smile slightly. A sudden question from Milla yanked her back to reality.

“What are we having for breakfast?”

Lilac shook her head before approaching Milla. Her nausea from earlier made itself known once more, yet her healthy and perky facade held.

“How about you pick this time, Milla?” Lilac suggested, “I’ll even show you how to make it.”

Milla’s eyes lit up as she turned to face Lilac, “Really?”

“Sure!”

Carol leaned forward on the couch and tapped Milla on the shoulder, prompting the hound to face her again. “Head to the kitchen, pick something out, and get things ready,” Carol instructed, “Then let us know when you’re all set.” 

Milla gave an enthused nod. “Okay!” 

Lilac kept her eyes on Milla as she made her way out, swaying as her exhaustion chipped away at the last bits of her resistance. The second she was sure Milla left earshot, Lilac’s legs finally gave way. She collapsed on the couch with an exasperated sigh and held her head. The room spun and her head pounded, her breathing grew heavy and forced. After a few seconds, her head seemed to relax and her breathing stabilized. Lilac then let her arms drop and she leaned back with a groan. 

“Oh my god...”

Though her nausea dissipated, Lilac felt weighted down by her own body, not that she wanted to get up anyway. Her left side suddenly felt warmer, a quick glance revealed Carol sitting closer to her. The wildcat’s smile from earlier remained as she carefully grabbed Lilac’s prone hand. Lilac gently squeezed back, luxuriating in this small and, for Carol, rare affectionate touch. Yet the dragon didn’t return the smile, she just didn’t have the energy. Instead, she faced forward and glanced off to the side, eyelids half closed. Her muscles tensed up as a certain issue came to mind, one she really didn’t want to bring up. Still, it has to be addressed. 

“Milla has no idea.”

Lilac’s heart froze, at least that’s what if felt like to her. The long silence that followed didn’t make it any better. Eventually, Carol broke the silence with her response, making Lilac twitch a little from the sudden noise.

“And you want to keep it that way?”

A paralyzing knot formed in Lilac’s stomach. Images of a hurt and angry Carol from last night formed in her head, followed by an innocent and cheery Milla. A frown formed on Lilac’s face, she didn’t want Milla of all people to have the burden of taking care of her, it’s suppose to be the other way around. She closed her eyes and gave a hesitant nod.

Carol’s grip tightened, making Lilac open her eyes and face her, the wildcat stared ahead with a narrow glare. Lilac’s heart plummeted like a rock, this isn’t fair to Carol. They spent a good chunk of last night going over trust and being honest, and here Lilac is asking Carol to keep up the facade. Before Lilac could say anything though, Carol sighed and released her grip on the dragon’s hand before speaking again.

“Alright.”

Lilac’s eyes perked up and her mouth hung agape slightly. After everything that happened last night, Carol’s willing to do this for her? 

“Really? But...” Lilac trailed off. 

“I don’t like it, but I did ask you to trust me,” Carol explained as she leaned back on the couch, “I don’t plan on going back on that.” 

Words escaped Lilac, all she could do was stare at her best friend. A lump formed in her throat as her gaze dropped. She still didn’t like putting Carol through this, despite how much she wanted Milla as far away from the drama as possible. In spite of it, her heart warmed again from the trust she felt for Carol. Overcome by it, Lilac scooted closer and let her head rest on Carol’s shoulder, before letting her feelings made known. 

“You’re the best...”

A content smile made its way on Lilac’s face, being this close to her best friend, the thought of even having a friend like this, words could not describe how lucky she felt. This also made the dragon feel even more stupid for not confiding in Carol earlier, but right now the relief blocked out anything that could trouble her. Suddenly, Lilac felt something snake across her back and gently grab her arm, eliciting a sharp yet quiet inhale from her. 

It’s Carol, she’s holding her.

Out of all the people Lilac expected this from, well, Carol was pretty low on the list until now. Lilac wanted to sit up and look at Carol, but she was just too comfy to move from her spot. Instead, she twisted until her body was facing Carol, allowing her head to rest more comfortably on the wildcat’s shoulder. Though possessing a fair bit of muscle, Lilac’s slender frame allowed her to fit snugly in Carol’s one armed embrace. 

So warm, Lilac thought. She never considered how much she wanted, no, needed this physical affection. The lump in her throat returned, more forceful, like it’s trying to get out. Lilac suddenly felt something round and soft press on her hair, it didn’t take long for her to figure out it was Carol resting her own head on hers. The closeness, the warmth, the intimacy, it was too much. The lump in Lilac’s throat finally escaped through her mouth in the form of a shaky and cracked sigh, leaving behind a tightening chest.

Lilac’s eyes grew moist. Don’t cry, she thought, don’t ruin the moment. As if she read her mind, Carol gave a gentle hush, allowing Lilac’s chest to relax once more as she blinked back the tears. Being held by Carol like this, snug and surrounded, nothing could touch her. There’s no guilt, no nightmares, no Brevon to hurt her, no reason to cry. Instead, for the first time in what feels like years, Lilac can finally relax. Her eyelids agreed, slowly closing. With a content exhale through her nose, Lilac surrendered to a long awaited sleep. 

“Lilac, I’m ready!”

Or not.

Lilac’s eyes snapped open in response to Milla’s call. She gritted her teeth briefly as she reluctantly lifted herself from Carol’s sweet grasp and sat up.

“Okay, give us a minute,” she called back.

As soon as Lilac stood up though, her vision blurred and a harsh pressure formed in her head. She hissed through her bared teeth as she held her head and sat back down. The room spun and her stomach turned, eliciting an agonized groan from the nauseous dragon. 

“Nngh...Carol...”

Lilac didn’t mean to say that. Still, she appreciated Carol coming to prop her up. 

“Hey! What’s wrong?” Carol asked, raising her voice. 

After a few seconds of endurance, Lilac gave a worn sigh and sat up strait. The dragon’s head still pounded, but she could at least balance herself now. She looked to Carol, who still held her by the arm as she stared worriedly. The wildcat let go and quickly donned that suspicious glare Lilac hated so much, before asking yet another question.

“When was the last time you ate?”

Lilac’s eyes drifted of to the side and she nervously rubbed her arm before answering, “I actually don’t know. Some time before yesterday?”

“Seriously!?” Carol nearly shouted with widened eyes, “No wonder you’re pretty much dying! Is this some kind of diet? You’re already pretty thin...”

“No, it’s just...I don’t know.”

“Well, good thing we’re about to have breakfast then. I’m gonna be on you about this!” 

“Alright already!” 

Carol’s glare narrowed, making Lilac drop her gaze.

“Sorry, Carol...”

Again with the submission. Every fiber of Lilac’s being screamed at her to stand up for herself, but she just didn’t have the energy anymore. Carol being right also didn’t help.

“Okay,” Carol said as she stood from the couch and extended her hand to Lilac, “Up and at ‘em.” 

Lilac sighed and took the wildcat’s hand. Even with the support, the nausea returned in force as she stood. A pained whimper from Lilac prompted Carol to prop her up again.

“It’s okay, I got you.” 

Lilac looked up at Carol and nodded with a smile. Carol smiled back, giving Lilac that same warm feeling from earlier. The two slowly made their way across the room, with Carol still holding Lilac. The dragon’s legs buckled as she walked and her head still pounded, yet she couldn’t help but enjoy being held by Carol once more. 

“Hey, I think I’m good now,” Lilac hesitantly exclaimed. 

Carol slowly released her grip and backed off. Lilac took a couple steps forward, then stumbled as her strength abandoned her again. Carol lunged forward to grab her but Lilac held her hands up to stop her. The dragon stood up straight and took a deep breath.

One step, then another, and another. Good, on the move. Lilac thought of Milla as she struggled to keep walking. Don’t show weakness in front of her, Lilac thought. Carol will be here, everything’s gonna be okay.

*****

This isn’t okay.

Carol watched on the other side of the kitchen counter as Lilac walked Milla through a cooking lesson, keeping her eyes peeled for anything amiss. And boy was there plenty amiss. 

Whenever Milla wasn’t looking, Lilac would almost double over and struggle to breathe. Then Milla would look back and Lilac would straiten up and put on a chipper smile. Whenever they talked, Carol could pick up Lilac taking quick breaths between words. The wildcat also noticed Lilac’s legs shake occasionally, as well as her visibly struggling to pick up pans and such. 

Carol stared dolefully with crossed arms. Lilac isn’t suppose to be doing this, she’s suppose to be resting. But no, gotta play little miss heropants for Milla. Her frustration mounting, Carol didn’t even notice her own claws baring until she felt one prick her arm. She winced and quickly retracted them before exhaling. As much as she hated to be a hypocrite, Carol didn’t like the idea of Milla being wrapped up in this either, kid’s been through a lot already. 

Thankfully Milla picked out a simple meal; pancakes. Everyone loves pancakes.

Carol made sure Lilac received a hefty serving, no excuses of saving food now that Carol’s been grocery shopping recently. Once everyone took their seats around the small table, Carol took the first bite. Feeling Milla’s anxious eyes on her, the wildcat licked her lips with inordinate flair after swallowing.

“Mmmm, delicious!” she exclaimed with a thumbs up, “Good job, Milla!”

The hound gave an energetic smile as her tail wagged. Carol turned her attention to Lilac, who giggled at Milla and returned her own proud smile.

“You pick up quick!” the dragon complemented.

She didn’t even touch her pancakes, Carol noticed. A mischievous grin painted the wildcat’s face before she spoke.

“How about you just wolf it down, Lilac? We can’t let Milla’s hard work go to waste, now can we?”

That earned a brief glare from Lilac. Carol’s cheeky grin remained as she leaned back and held her arms behind her head. No way Lilac will say no to Milla, Carol thought. Sure enough Lilac turned her attention to Milla, who stared back expectantly with a still wagging tail. Lilac sat up straight and looked back at Carol.

“Yeah, she did work hard on this,” Lilac conceded with a clearly forced smile. 

Milla always wins.

The table fell quiet as the three girls left each other to their meals. Carol gave the occasional glance at Lilac, whose pile of pancakes depleted the slowest. Lilac would irregularly stop and tiredly stare off into nothing, requiring a nudge under the table from Carol in order to perk up and continue her meal. Other times she would quickly glance over her shoulder or off to the side, eyes alert and darting, before sighing and shaking her head.

Carol frowned and glanced down, maybe she acted a bit like a jerk with the Milla card, a little less attitude may have helped. Noticing Lilac taking a break and letting her arm hang under the table, an idea came to the wildcat. Carol put on another smile, reached under the table, and gently took Lilac’s hand. The dragon’s surprised gaze snapped up at her, prompting Carol to give a wink at her best friend. Lilac just stared slightly bug eyed at first, then she smiled and nodded reassuringly. 

“Uh, Lilac?”

Carol quickly pulled her hand away, resisting the urge to glare at Milla for ruining the moment. Lilac brushed her hair aside before acknowledging the hound.

“Hm? What’s up?”

“Well,” Milla dropped her gaze briefly, “You said something about a girl’s night out before. Are we still doing that?” 

Girl’s night out?

Carol raised an eyebrow at Lilac, who nervously glanced to the side before putting on a smile and speaking.

“Milla and I discussed maybe going out to try on dresses, get some sushi, or anything else we feel like doing,” the dragon explained, “It was on Zao’s airship, after we were...” Suddenly her smile dropped, and Carol could make out her starting to shake.

Uh oh.

“After we were attacked by...Prince Dail...”

Carol couldn’t tell what Lilac was looking at, if anything. The dragon’s breathing grew laborious and her eyes moistened. Time to go.

“Hey Lilac,” Carol addressed as she stood up, “Need to talk to you about something, got a minute?” 

“Sure,” Lilac quickly answered, averting her gaze from Milla. The pair left the table and started making their way out, Carol took note of Lilac’s apparent haste. Before she made it out, Carol turned her attention to a confused looking Milla and smiled.

“We’ll be back,” Carol assured. Lilac hurried past her, accidentally bumping the wildcat’s shoulder on the way out. Carol gave her a quick glare before looking at Milla again. “Those pancakes better be gone by the time we get back, alright?”

Milla nodded, prompting Carol to give a thumbs up before turning and leaving to catch up with Lilac. Her mind raced, how bad is this going to be? Thoughts of last night intruded her mind, again bringing up those loathsome images of a frightened Lilac. Not this time, Carol thought, this time will be better. Carol’s here for her.

Besides, this might be a good time to see about this ‘girl’s night out.’

*****

Turbulent winds, cannon fire, explosions, don’t fall.

Lilac could see the living room, smell the pancakes in the other room, feel her own grip on the chair she held on to for dear life. But ‘here’ doesn’t feel like ‘here,’ more a feverish daydream meant to obscure an inescapable reality. That reality being Mayor Zao’s airship, smoking, damaged, falling. 

And Lilac is still aboard. 

Punishing winds teared up her eyes and threatened to send her sailing off the ship, her only anchor being the mast she wrapped her arms around. No sign of Carol or Milla, were they blown away? Current conditions prevented Lilac from knowing. The source of said problems hovered in front of her, flapping its mechanical avian wings at the behest of its royal pilot. 

Prince Dail of Shuigang, once the heir to the throne of his country, now a puppet to Lord Brevon. His eyes, narrow and focused, pierced Lilac. In them, she could see nothing, no indication of what he might be thinking. Well, the intent didn’t prove difficult to figure out, anyway. The Prince wants to kill her, and with the harsh winds generated by his winged automaton steed, he just might get his wish. 

Lilac squeezed her eyes shut and gritted her teeth. Move, she thought, move you stupid dragon! If he wins, Brevon gets the Kingdom Stone. If he wins, Avalice is history.

If he wins, you die here.

“Lilac!”

No airship, no wind, no Dail. Just the living room now, solid and grounded. Tears stinging her eyes, Lilac felt a strong grip on her arm. Unsurprisingly, a look to her right rewarded her with the sight of a frowning Carol. For a few seconds, all Lilac could do was stare at the wildcat. She wanted to say something, anything. But the words never came.

“Come on, let’s get you off your feet,” Carol instructed as she pulled Lilac.

Once Lilac released her grip on the chair, vertigo suddenly hit her like a truck, eliciting a sharp gasp from her and making her hug the chair once more. Shaking and hyperventilating, Lilac didn’t dare move. It felt as if the slightest twitch could send her tumbling. Tumbling where? She’s not on an airship, there’s no Dail trying to throw her off. It doesn’t matter, if she lets go of the chair, she’ll fall to her death. Lilac squeezed her eyes shut as she mentally told herself there’s nothing to worry about, to no avail. Her heart went into overdrive. A desperate plea made its way out of her, pathetic, almost a squeak.

“Help...”

Suddenly feeling warmth on her hand, Lilac opened her eyes and looked at Carol, who now held her hand. Donning a weak smile, Carol gently pulled on Lilac’s hand.

“I got you, you’re okay,” the wildcat reassured her, her voice barely louder than a whisper, “Let go of the chair, I won’t let you fall.” 

Though Carol’s presence calmed her down some, Lilac didn’t feel a hundred percent safe just yet. Her trembling hands slowly released their grip on the chair, immediately her chest tightened and her hyperventilating worsened. Before Lilac could grab the chair again, Carol yanked her away by the shoulders. Lilac went bug eyed as the room spun, she tried lunging forward for the chair again but Carol held her in place. She squeezed her eyes shut as she struggled

“Lilac, no! It’s okay!”

It’s not okay, Carol! Going to fall off the airship...need to hold on to something....

Lilac struggled and struggled, but Carol’s superior physical strength didn’t give an inch. Her eyes shot open and frantically scanned the room. Nothing to hold on to, out in the open, the dragon’s legs weakened. The chair’s too far away now, there’s no anchor for her.

Except Carol.

Dizzy, heart aching, Lilac suddenly collapsed, or would have if Carol wasn’t already holding her. Lilac grabbed Carol’s shoulders as the wildcat hoisted her up by the arms and cursed under her breath. Something gave and Lilac’s hyperventilating gave way to labored breathing, it felt as if her lungs were set to implode. Virtually paralyzed, chest tightening, all Lilac could do was hold on, squeeze her eyes shut again, and repeatedly whimper Carol’s name.

Straining and grunting, Carol clumsily guided her around to the front of the chair, Lilac going limp in her arms certainly didn’t help. Lilac abruptly felt Carol’s grip abandon her, making her shriek as gravity did its thing. Instead of falling, Lilac abruptly flopped onto something soft. She opened her eyes and realized she was now sitting in the chair. 

Sitting didn’t help much, Lilac felt a leaning sensation, like the whole room is about to capsize. Her tear stricken eyes widened and she squeezed the arm rests. Arms trembling, legs curled up off the floor, breathing still a chore, all Lilac could do was stare ahead until Carol got her attention. The wildcat knelt down beside the chair so they could be at eye level, gently grabbing Lilac’s arm and dolefully staring into her eyes.

“I’m here,” Carol assured quietly, “I won’t leave you.”

Lilac kept her eyes glued on Carol. She’s not fighting Prince Dail, not about to fall off an airship. She’s here, home, with her best friend looking after her. With these thoughts combining with Carol’s company to keep Lilac’s attention, the vertigo died down. No longer accosted, Lilac allowed herself to lean back and take slow, deliberate breaths. Eventually the burning in her lungs dissipated and her arms relaxed in her lap. 

Lilac lazily turned her head towards Carol, who looked back with a worried frown. Lilac gave a reassuring smile.

“Thank you.”

Saying that must of done something, because Carol smiled back and nodded. The wildcat folded her arms on the armrest and let her head rest on them. For awhile, Lilac luxuriated in the silence with her best friend, enjoying the relief from her episode. Her ease vanished when Carol’s smile dropped.

“So, was that what happened in the shower yesterday?” the wildcat asked, “Like you said?”

Lilac’s smiled faded and her eyes narrowed as she looked down. She just experienced it and didn’t want to talk about it.

“Lilac?” 

The dragon looked back up at her friend. Carol had lifted her head up and her worried frown from earlier returned, reminding Lilac of their agreement from last night. She sighed and looked back down before answering. 

“Yeah. I was, well, I thought I was on Mayor Zao’s airship fighting Prince Dail,” Lilac kept her voice low, both out of exhaustion and concern that Milla could hear. “Even when I knew it wasn’t real, I just...”

Lilac trailed off and pinched the bridge of her nose. With sobriety from her episode came an embarrassing clarity, images of her frail and pathetic self being carried by Carol filled her mind.

“Carol, I hate being like this!” Lilac exclaimed, raising her voice slightly, “I’m not suppose to be scared all the time!”

“Says who?”

Lilac looked back up at Carol, who now knelt in front of her with a smile.

“Who says you can’t be scared? If you can’t help it, then you can’t help it.” the wildcat explained, “It happens.”

“Not to me!” Lilac retorted. Carol seemed unfazed as she continued.

“Yeah, it sucks and you need help, but you’re not lesser for it. Lilac, you’re still the coolest person I know!”

Lilac smiled as her heart gave an irregular beat. One reason she kept it a secret before was a fear of looking, as Carol put it, lesser. Knowing that Carol didn’t care and still wanted to help, words couldn’t describe the relief. The dragon could no longer contain her gratitude. 

“Thanks, I really needed to hear that.”

Carol’s gaze went off to the side and her frown returned, making Lilac’s smile fade.

“Well, don’t thank me just yet,” Carol warned as she stood up, crossed her arms, and made eye contact again, “We need to talk about this ‘girl’s night out.’”

Lilac’s heart plummeted and she looked away. Before she could think of a response, a couple finger snaps from Carol brought her gaze back to her. A lump formed in Lilac’s throat, she already knew what Carol had to say about this. Still, she swallowed and pressed on with her response.

“What’s there to talk about? Like I said to Milla, it’s just a fun night on the town.”

“You sure it’s a good idea?” Carol asked as she put her hands on her hips, “Even though you’re like this?”

Lilac fidgeted with her hands and glanced away. Try as she might, she couldn’t come up with a counter, and it made the dragon sink in her seat. 

“Uh...”

Carol sighed and palmed her forehead, making Lilac cringe internally and face her again. The wildcat let her hand drop before speaking.

“Look, I get you want to do something cool for Milla. But with the way you are...” Carol trailed off and inhaled through her nose. Lilac figured she was just as uncomfortable with this conversation. “I mean, you freaked out just from mentioning Prince Dail! What if it happens again out in public?”

Again, Lilac didn’t have an answer. Her gaze fell to her still fidgeting hands and a knot formed in her stomach. Carol’s right, she should stay home and rest. Going out presents too much opportunity for trouble. 

But...

“I owe Milla,” Lilac finally answered. 

The dragon looked up to Carol once more. Her friend stared at her with a raised eyebrow and crossed arms. Carol took a breath before retorting. 

“Lilac, you don’t owe Milla anything. She already worships the ground you walk on! You’ve given her food, a home, a family! What more could-...”

“That was before Brevon turned her into a monster!” Lilac interjected as she stood from her seat. 

Carol backed up with bug eyes and put her hands up in front of her. Maybe she has a point, Lilac thought. But right now, as the dragon glared at her startled friend, she couldn’t recall hearing anything so profoundly wrong. 

“I took her with us on that dreadnought!” Lilac explained, barely keeping her volume under a shout, “I could have left her behind and that wouldn’t have happened! I wouldn’t have had to...had to...”

Milla. Monster. Hurt. Rage. 

Not again. Not now.

Lilac hugged herself and looked down, trembling with tears welling up once more. Don’t think about it, she told herself. Too late, Lilac could hear the growling of a mutant hound, feel the heat from exploding phantom cubes, and almost make out the sight of Milla’s prone and battered body.

A sudden pressure on her back pulled Lilac from her thoughts, making her open her eyes and glance at a frowning Carol, who now stood at her side with a hand on her back. Stinging in her eyes prompted Lilac to wipe her tears away. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to sink into Carol’s embrace and forget this conversation. But Milla still haunted her, even with Carol’s presence keeping the memory at bay.

“Carol, please. I know I’m pushing my luck,” Lilac pleaded with her hands clasped together, interrupted by a sniff, “But if I do this for Milla, maybe I’ll sleep better at night.” 

Carol grimaced and pulled away, much to Lilac’s disappointment from the separation. She then turned her back to the dragon and placed her hands on her hips. The ensuing silence lasted for what seemed like years to Lilac. With each passing second, the tension in Lilac’s stomach sharpened more and more. Finally, Carol glanced over her shoulder and made eye contact before speaking.

“You really think this will help you?”

Lilac nodded.

Carol looked forward again and sighed, intriguing Lilac as well as filling her with dread. The wildcat then turned back around and gave her a rigid stare.

“Ground rules,” Carol uttered sternly.

Lilac straightened up and nodded as she lowered her hands. Though wary of these “ground rules,” the mere fact of Carol allowing this relaxed Lilac. Carol held up a finger.

“I am to be with you at all times.”

Two fingers.

“If you flip out again, we head straight back home. No fuss. No arguing.”

Three fingers, and a quick side glance.

“Well, this one’s more of a stipulation than a rule.” Carol crossed her arms. “If I feel like you’re getting too out of control, I reserve the right to tell Milla about you.”

Of. Course.

Lilac bit her lip. In order to make it up to Milla, she has to risk exposing her to a world of trauma after already experiencing so much. Lilac could just say no, forget the trip, and ensure Milla never has to deal with this. As she looked at Carol’s extended hand ready to shake, the refusal slowly made its way up the dragon’s throat. 

And then the monster reared its ugly head. 

Lilac closed her eyes and exhaled through her nose. Milla. Sweet, innocent Milla. She trusted Lilac, followed her blindly to what amounted to war, and almost payed for it with her life. Lilac clenched her fist; its her own fault. Everything that happened is her fault. She doesn’t get to rest.

Eyes open with a determined glare, Lilac took Carol’s hand firmly and shook. Carol seemed to reel at this, ears perked up and everything. She then relaxed and gave an affirmative smile before commenting.

“It’s a deal then!”

After the pair retracted their hands, Lilac turned away and sighed. Event though the deal has been made, it didn’t prevent the regret. All that convincing, gone. 

“Hey, Lilac?”

The dragon looked back at Carol, who’s face softened and helped alleviate her sour mood. The wild cat gently took her hands.

“I know this isn’t easy for you. But I really don’t mean to give you a hard time,” Carol explained. Lilac’s glare faded as she relaxed. “I’m just worried about you, alright? I don’t want to have to tell Milla either, so let’s make sure it never comes to that, okay?”

Lilac couldn’t help a smile before answering.

“Okay.”

“Cool.”

Carol gave a nod before retracting her hands. She turned to start walking, but suddenly turned back towards Lilac, her smile noticeably absent.

“And for what its worth, I don’t think what happened to Milla was your fault,” Carol commented.

Lilac’s smile faded, yet she didn’t feel any worse. In fact, she was pleasantly surprised. After who knows how long of blaming and hating herself, just hearing someone else tell her otherwise was a more than welcome change of pace. Even though Lilac still didn’t agree with it a hundred percent, it brought another smile to her face.

“Now come on,” Carol ordered, bringing Lilac out of her thoughts, “You still have some pancakes to eat.”

Carol started making her way to the kitchen, but Lilac remained in place. Despite the drama, Carol is on her side. It didn’t really sink in until now, Lilac needed this. She needed help. She needed a friend. She needed Carol. The feeling of having this now, it filled Lilac with warmth once more. She can’t contain it, she has to make her feelings known.

“Hey, Carol?” Lilac asked, prompting the wildcat to turn around and face her with a raised eyebrow. 

“What’s up?” Carol asked.

Lilac gave a warm smile before speaking again.

“I love you.”

Carol’s eyes widened slightly and her arms went limp. The sight filled Lilac with an urge to giggle, but she suppressed it. After a couple seconds of silence, Carol glanced off to the side and scratched the back of her head.

“Yeah, love you too,” Carol finally said. She then lowered her hand and faced Lilac again. “Where did this come from?”

Lilac lowered her gaze before responding, though her smile remained.

“Just feel like I don’t say that often enough.”


	3. Warning

“Milla, you about ready?”

“Coming, Lilac!”

Satisfied with the answer, Lilac left the foot of the staircase and returned to the kitchen sink. By it rested one of her sky blue hearing aids. Her exposed right ear resembled a fish fin like appendage, but clearly underdeveloped, shriveled, and useless. A genetic blemish on an otherwise decent specimen of physical health. 

Without her hearing aids, Lilac could barely make out so much as a muffle from anything. Having only one on right now caused a distracting imbalance for the dragon. Still, gotta keep them clean!

Lilac picked up her hearing aid and propped a finger under her limp ear, wincing and hissing in pain as she gingerly lifted her ear level with the hearing aid. She then slowly guided her ear into a small and cushioned indent within the devise until it became completely encased. Once the aid latched on to Lilac’s head, her crippled ear relaxed in the cushion and sound came to life from her right as if a broken headphone suddenly started working again. 

With a content nod, Lilac turned around in time to catch Milla coming downstairs. The hound ran up to her with an excited smile, prompting Lilac to give one of her own.

“You looking forward to today?” Lilac asked. Milla nodded before responding.

“Yup!”

Lilac giggled and gave Milla a quick pat on the head, making the hound wag her tail. Despite being an insignificant moment, this one little exchange allowed Lilac to feel, if only for a second, normal again. Hopefully this trip will provide more moments like this.

Lilac gestured for Milla to follow and made for the living room. Once inside, Lilac gave an exasperated sigh and put her hands on her hips at what she saw. Carol lounged on the couch as she flipped through channels and ate from a bag of chips. Lilac took a breath before addressing and approaching her.

“Carol, we’re going to have sushi!”

“I know! Just a little snack,” Carol replied with her mouth full, eyes not moving from the screen. “Want some?”

The dragon rolled her eyes and snatched the bag from Carol’s hand, earning an annoyed glare from the wildcat.

“We’re leaving now,” Lilac informed as she picked up the remote and turned off the TV.

Carol gave a defeated groan before finally standing up. Before Lilac could say anything else to her, Milla tapped her on the shoulder.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

Lilac turned and put on a perky smile before answering.

“I figured we could catch a train to Shang Mu and check out the shopping center.” 

“We still have those discounts from Mayor Zao,” Carol commented as she stretched behind Lilac. 

Lilac gave a smirk. This discount started at five percent after chasing General Serpentine out of Shang Mu, but after defeating Lord Brevon and saving Avalice, along with some persuasion, Zao offered a more generous discount. Though Lilac wanted to distance herself from her previous life, making a corrupt official squirm still brought a special kind of satisfaction.

“Hey, Milla. Why don’t you head on outside?” Carol offered, pulling Lilac from her thoughts. “We’ll catch up.”

“Sure!” 

As Milla made her way past the pair, Carol grinned and grabbed her before she could make it out and ruffled her hair, making the hound squeal and giggle. Lilac couldn’t help but giggle herself at the sight. Eventually, Milla wrestled her way out of Carol’s grasp and ran out the front door. 

Carol dropped her grin and turned back to face Lilac, who’s perky facade fell.

“Hey, you alright?” the wildcat asked with her hands on her hips, “You seemed a little tense.”

Lilac scratched the back of her head and frowned before answering.

“Sorry, I’m kind of stressing out over this. I really hope it goes well.”

“It’ll be fine,” Carol assured as she gently grabbed Lilac’s shoulders and smiled, making her heart skip a beat. “Milla will have fun just being with you, and I’m here if things get too much. So don’t worry!”

Feeling the tension in her chest dissipate, Lilac smiled and leaned forward on Carol’s shoulder, allowing the wildcat to pull her into a warm hug. After a few seconds of luxuriating in her best friend’s embrace, Lilac received some encouragement in the form of Carol whispering in her hearing aid. 

“You got this.”

Lilac pulled back and stared into Carol’s eyes for a second before nodding, earning a grin and playful punch in the arm from her. 

“That’s my girl!” Carol commented cheerfully.

Lilac walked past Carol and stared out the doorway. Below the tree house stood a patiently waiting Milla. Lilac thought of Carol’s encouraging words and took a deep breath, this gave her the energy necessary to perk herself up again before climbing down with Carol in tow.

Neither of them noticed the phone ringing before they left.

*****

One could pick from a multitude of words that could describe this train, but the only one Milla can think of right now is “cramped.” Finding seats for herself, Lilac, and Carol seemed a glorious miracle. Due to the crowd, Milla had to press up against Lilac, who sat between her and Carol. The hound recalled Lilac and Carol talking about having to ride coach due to money issues, today’s activities seemed to heavenly depend on Mayor Zao’s discounts. 

But that’s okay. As long as she gets to be with Lilac and Carol, it’ll be fun no matter what they do!

Speaking of whom, Milla glanced up at Lilac in time to see Carol whispering something to her. With all the noise from the other passengers, Milla couldn’t quite make out what the wildcat said, apart from a couple words. Hanging...on? Hanging in? Is hanging even what she said? Too much noise. Eventually, Lilac turned towards Carol and nodded with a smile.

Having given up, Milla glanced at the other passengers. As she looked though, she suddenly felt queasy. Not nauseous or dizzy, just plain uncomfortable. Milla sank in her seat as her gaze dropped. None of the passengers frightened her or anything, there’s just a lot of them...

A sudden warmth on her knee grabbed Milla’s attention, a quick look revealed Lilac’s gloved hand gently holding on to her knee. Milla looked up at the dragon, who looked back with a friendly smile.

“You okay?” Lilac asked quietly.

Her gentle voice eased Milla’s queasiness, allowing her to sit back up. The hound’s face reddened at how silly she must look right now.

“It’s crowded,” Milla informed sheepishly. 

Lilac rubbed Milla’s knee before responding. 

“We’ll be there soon. Don’t worry.”

Milla smiled and scooted closer to Lilac, eternally thankful for having met someone so kind and cool. It wasn’t too long ago she lived on her own out in the wilderness, now here she is having a night on the town with the two coolest people on Avalice. 

“Now arriving at Shang Mu, Commercial District,” an automated woman’s voice announced over the train’s intercom, making Milla jump slightly. “Please watch your step, and...”

Milla stopped paying attention and looked back up at Lilac.

“See? Told you!” the dragon commented with her usual perkiness. A giggle escaped Milla. 

Once the train finally screeched to a halt, the three girls had to wait until everyone standing disembarked. After finally being able to make their way out to the station, Milla immediately became awestruck with the view. Her mouth hung open as she stared at the shining cityscape in the distance. 

“So pretty...” was all Milla could say.

Lilac and Carol flanked her from both sides, the latter giving a whistle before commenting.

“Shang Mu sure didn’t look like this last time we were here!”

“Mayor Zao must be taking advantage of the near limitless energy from the Kingdom Stone changing,” Lilac speculated. 

“Let’s not talk about that...” Carol seemed to trail off.

Milla looked up at Carol, who seemed to be giving Lilac a weird glance. Before the hound could ask anything, Carol perked up with a smile.

“Because there are good times to be had tonight!” she exclaimed almost flamboyantly. The wildcat strolled over to a district map pinned to a bulletin board, grabbing the attention of the other two, and scratched her head. “So, what do we do?”

Lilac stood next to Carol and held a finger to her chin as she scanned the map. Milla decided to hang back and let the two older girls handle it, taking residence on a nearby bench and letting her feet dangle lazily. Frankly, it doesn’t matter to her what they do, as long as they’re together. 

Milla looked at Lilac and smiled. Try as she might, the hound couldn’t think of anyone as awesome and brave as Lilac. So young, yet saving the world like some kind of superhero! And Milla lives with her now, no luckier dog exists on Avalice!

“Well, why don’t we let Milla decide?” Lilac suddenly suggested. 

Huh? What?

Milla felt both Lilac and Carol staring at her expectantly, making her shoulders tense up from the sudden attention. Heat rushing to her face, Milla could only stutter as she struggled to muster a response. Her initial thoughts went to trying on dresses per Lilac’s suggestion, but then she thought of something the dragon said regarding Carol.

“Good luck getting her to put on a dress.”

The hound’s gaze dropped. She didn’t want to make Carol do something she doesn’t enjoy, so her thoughts went to activities the wildcat would like. Sleeping, eating, riding her bike...oh! 

“How about an arcade?” Milla suggested shyly. 

Lilac tilted her head while Carol put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow. 

“An arcade?” Carol repeated. Milla detected interest in her voice, giving the hound a bit of confidence and allowing her to relax her shoulders while making eye contact. 

“You like video games, right?” Milla asked, more audible than before, “And there’s more stuff we could do besides that.” 

Carol turned to Lilac and gave a cheeky grin. 

“What do you think, Ms. Heropants?” she taunted, “Feel like getting destroyed in air hockey?”

Lilac crossed her arms and glared at her best friend before giving her response. 

“Oh, now we have to go!” She then turned back to the map and traced a finger along it. “Let’s see...ah! Here’s one!”

“Then let’s get a move on!” Carol shouted excitedly before slamming her fist into her palm. 

Lilac gestured for Milla to follow before setting off, prompting the hound to leave the bench and walk alongside her. Milla couldn’t help but be relieved she wasn’t the center of attention anymore. Still, Lilac and Carol getting all fired up felt infectious. The thought of all the fun things she’s about to do with them sent a surge up Milla’s chest, giving her the urge to sprint ahead. But she resisted, instead grinning and giggling to herself. 

Tonight is going to be amazing!

*****

“Wow. I had no idea places like this were still a thing!” Carol exclaimed as she scanned the inside of the arcade. 

It has everything. Arcade machines, air hockey tables, skee ball, a UFO catcher, one of those dancing rhythm games, a wall of prizes manned by a bored looking teenager around Lilac’s age, the works. All accented by tasteless neon lights and music you can’t even hear over all the games being played.

It’s...glorious...

“There aren’t many arcades like this left,” Lilac commented, “But there are some who want to keep the scene alive.” 

Carol turned to Lilac, who stared off ahead with her arms crossed. This made the wildcat’s chest tense up as she held her breath; she couldn’t tell what Lilac was staring at. The dragon glanced in her direction and did a double take before putting on a reassuring smile, allowing Carol to relax, quietly exhale, and give a smile of her own. 

Good, Lilac’s still in control. 

Still, Carol needed to hear it from her. Before she could say anything though, Lilac already spoke.

“Well, let’s get our tokens!”

Carol swallowed her words, and frustration, before she followed Lilac with a scowl and her hands in her pockets. The ever so cheery Milla walked beside her. Having to watch what she says around Milla, Carol couldn’t shake how restricted she felt. Before, she could just blurt out whatever came to mind and not care about what others thought, especially Lilac. Those days are gone, now her thoughts have to trash around in her mind and exacerbate her mood until the opportune moment. 

Lilac walked up to the counter in front of the prize wall and purchased tokens from the aforementioned bored looking teenager. Thankfully, Zao’s discounts are good here. While the young employee went to fetch the tokens, Carol looked over her shoulder and took note of Milla wandering around and looking at prizes a little further down the counter. 

Here’s that opportune moment. Carol leaned on the counter next to Lilac and nudged her in the elbow before whispering to her.

“Hey, you good?”

Lilac lowered her head and exhaled through her nose. 

“Yeah. Just got distracted is all,” the dragon whispered back.

“By?”

Carol noticed Lilac’s hands ball into fists. 

“Thoughts,” Lilac finally answered under a breath, “Bad ones.” 

“Of?” Carol pressed as her eyes narrowed and she looked in Lilac’s direction.

The dragon’s indirect answers didn’t help Carol’s annoyance, only serving to worsen a fiery pressure in her chest. This pressure lessened when Carol got a good look at Lilac’s face, which sported a frown and eyes glancing off to the side. 

“Please, not now,” Lilac pleaded, Carol picked up on some slight, easy to miss quivering in her voice. “I’ll tell you while we’re having sushi after this. Right now, I just want to have fun with you and Milla.” 

Carol’s face softened and she glanced away as she felt a knot form in her stomach. She just couldn’t stay annoyed after hearing that. Instead, she put on a smile and wrapped an arm around Lilac, pulling her a hair closer and making the dragon meet eyes with her.

“Alright, we’ll put a pin in it,” Carol acquiesced, “Besides, you’re still due for an air hockey beat down!”

Lilac gave a grin before responding. 

“Yeah, I still need to give you one, Miss Tea.”

There’s that energetic Lilac, Carol thought. Hopefully, she’ll stick around for the duration of this trip. 

Once the employee came back with the tokens, Lilac called Milla over and led the group over to an air hockey table deeper in the arcade. Carol and Lilac took positions on opposing ends of the table while Milla stood off to the side. Lilac turned to her and gave an apologetic smile.

“Sorry, Milla. Two players only,” she apologized. 

Milla smiled back and shook her head before responding. 

“It’s okay. I like watching Carol play video games back home, this is just like that!”

“Alright, if you say so,” Lilac replied with a shrug, “You may want to be careful in case the puck goes flying off.”

Milla nodded before conjuring a little green shield in front of herself. 

Strikers in hand, Carol and Lilac stared each other down with confident grins. After all the stress and drama, Carol planned on unwinding right now. A look in Lilac’s eyes told her the dragon felt the same. No robots, no Brevon, no nightmares, no hallucinations, just playing games with her best friend. A clinking noise from Lilac indicated her putting a token in the slot, this was followed by the table humming to life and the scoreboard lighting up.

“May the best girl win!” Carol announced as she tossed the puck on the table. 

“Don’t worry, I will,” Lilac retorted as she narrowed her glare. 

Well, someone’s confident, Carol thought. Better than the frightened and scarred wreck from before. 

A sudden snap brought Carol back to reality. Lilac already hit the puck! Fortunately, Carol’s return came in the nick of time. As did Lilac’s, then Carol’s again. Both players found themselves on the defensive, it became less about tripping up the opponent and more about trying to predict where the puck decided to bounce to. Sometimes it would make it past Carol and her heart would leap up to the roof of her mouth, only for her to realize it bounced off back the other way. The more vocal Lilac sometimes gave a playful shriek whenever it seemed the puck would make it into her goal.

After so much mind numbing back and forth, Lilac slammed her striker into the side of the puck, making it ricochet off the walls repeatedly. Carol’s eyes and hand couldn’t track fast enough, and the puck slammed into her goal. Feeling her heart drop from her mouth down to her feet, Carol gritted her teeth and slammed her fist on the table. Meanwhile, Lilac gave an elated “Yes!” before receiving a high five from Milla. 

Carol smiled. Seeing Lilac like this, you wouldn’t think she was in any pain or distress. Though the knowledge of Lilac’s true disposition tempered her optimism, the wildcat embraced this more than welcome change of pace.

Still, Carol has no intention of walking away from this table a loser. 

“Hey, Little Miss Heropants! It’s not over,” the wildcat proclaimed as she set the puck back on the table. 

Lilac turned back around with a grin and readied her striker, prompting Carol to grin back. Not interested in getting caught off guard this time, the wildcat nailed the puck first. As the next round went on, Carol attempted to replicate Lilac’s ricochet technique, but the dragon somehow knew where to defend each time it came her way. Adrenaline surging, Carol smashed the puck with more force than intended, sending it flying off to the side towards Milla. The puck harmlessly bounced off her shield and flopped back on the table, leaving the two contestants to process what in the world just happened.

Carol finished first.

Panicking and stuttering under her breath, Carol clumsily hit the puck straight forward. Lilac couldn’t react in time to keep it from slamming into her goal. Consumed by relief and excitement all at once, Carol shouted jubilantly and raised her fists skyward. A look to her right revealed Milla smiling with her fist extended out in front of her. Carol chuckled and gave the hound a fist bump before looking back towards her opponent. Lilac had her arms crossed as she glared with enough intensity to collapse a star. 

Carol grinned. Even with everything Lilac is going through, solidly kicking her high and mighty dragon butt in front of precious little Milla didn’t feel any less glorious.

“Tie breaker!” Lilac snapped as she slammed her striker and the puck on the table. 

Oh me oh my, looks like a nerve’s been touched, Carol thought.

This time, Carol barely got her striker on the table before Lilac served. The force from the hit made it next to impossible to make any sort of offensive play. Carol and Lilac suddenly both found themselves on the defensive as they clumsily deflected the puck back and forth. Her bravado gone, Carol panted an sweated from her own frantic defense. At least Lilac must be getting nervous, right? 

A quick glance up revealed just the opposite. Lilac stood with a grin, her arms crossed, and her striker set off to the side. Carol is now literally playing against herself!

Cheeky little...

Well, if Lilac wants to throw the match, far be it from Carol to turn down the offer. Carol employed her winning straight shot from earlier, no point in getting fancy when there’s no defense to get past. But somehow, the puck launched at an angle and bounced right back her way.

Carol heard a snort from Lilac.

Back on the defensive, Carol felt heat rush to her cheeks. Her hits grew clumsy and desperate. Each passing second this little debacle persisted added to the wildcat’s embarrassment. The occasional glance up would present her with Lilac holding her mouth as her shoulders shook. Eventually, she let her hand drop to her stomach and her laughter grew more audible.

Realizing her current strategy wouldn’t cut it, Carol knocked the puck off to the side, hoping the ricochet would put an end to this gong show. Instead, it bounced back and made it past her guard. The wildcat’s heart leaped up in her throat as she gave a panicked “No!” To her surprise, it missed her goal and bounced away, only to come back and zip past her guard once more. Again and again it did this, with Carol alternating between shrieking, uttering panicked gibberish, or just shouting no.

Suddenly the table shook, prompting Carol to look up at Lilac for a split second. The dragon leaned on the table and squeezed her tear filled eyes shut as her laughter intensified, ranging from bombastic howling to broken wheezing. Milla had dropped her shield in order to hold her aching belly as she laughed with Lilac. Head pounding, face reddening, eyes going slightly bloodshot, Carol’s embarrassment gave way to pure unadulterated rage. Her movements grew frantic and unfocused, not once could she hit the puck. 

Eventually the puck slowed to a halt in the middle of the table, prompting Carol to cease her harmless rampage and breathe deeply through her nose. This is it, this will finally end the madness! Grinning like a lunatic, Carol lined up her shot and pulled her striker back, only to be interrupted by a still laughing Lilac.

“Go ahead,” she encouraged between laughs, “I thi- I think you earned it after...”

Carol struck before Lilac could finish. What happened next did so too fast for Carol to see, but she heard it. A clinking sound erupted from below her. She didn’t see the puck go into Lilac’s goal. Lilac herself suddenly went silent. 

Oh. No. 

If Carol could just stare ahead in this spot forever, she thought, she wouldn’t have to see what she already knew. She wouldn’t have to live knowing she screwed up this bad, in such a cosmically tragic fashion. But Carol can’t stay in this moment forever. Time marches on, it cares not for our woes. So she looked down, and bore witness to her grievous sin.

There, in her own goal, lies the puck.

Grin fading, eyes widening, Carol couldn’t decide what she felt right now, nor could she think. Anger, confusion, despair, too much at once. Then something clicked into place, and Carol smashed her striker on the table again, and again, and again, and again, and again. With one final slam, the striker bounced off the table and flew off to parts unknown, leaving a lightheaded Carol to hyperventilate, hold her head, and attempt to calm her raging heart. It’s just a game, she thought. A game you lost, against yourself. 

After calming down, at least enough to regain her awareness, Carol looked at Lilac and was taken aback by what she saw. Lilac appeared to have collapsed and sprawled herself on the table. Judging by her decreased height, Carol guessed Lilac fell to her knees. The dragon’s mouth hung open but uttered no noise, her shut eyes grew puffy and red. Her entire body shook from a silent laugh. 

Carol couldn’t remember if Lilac ever laughed this hard since they met.

Eventually, Lilac’s laughter grew audible again. A smile found its way on Carol’s face as she calmed further. She’s having fun, Lilac is actually having fun! The wildcat walked over to Lilac’s side as the dragon stood back up and wiped tears from her eyes.

“Oh my god, I’m gonna die!” Lilac managed to say as her laughter slowly died down, “Carol, I’m sorry, but that was the greatest thing I’ve ever seen in my life!” 

“Yeah, I’m just a riot...” Carol trailed off as she stared at Lilac. The wildcat feared she would never hear her best friend laugh again. Yeah, she giggled and chuckled every now and then, but not a hard belly laugh. Hopefully, it won’t take as long to hear it again this time. 

Feeling pressure on her back, Carol turned and was greeted with the sight of Milla smiling at her. The hound held her hands behind her back before speaking.

“It’s alright, Carol. I’m actually amazed you’re not embarrassed after doing so horribly!” 

Okay, could have done without that.

Carol glared and rose a finger, but Lilac gingerly grabbed her by the shoulder before she could start going off on the innocent Milla, prompting Carol to turn back to her. The smiling dragon’s laughter completely faded in place of a gentle voice.

“Carol, it’s fine. I had a really fun time. Thank you.”

Carol’s fury melted away in favor of a warming chest as her smile returned, she couldn’t stay mad after hearing that. As she stared, Carol noticed Lilac shift as the dragon’s smile widened slightly. What was that movement? Squirming? Whatever the case, she seems happy, and that’s all that matters right now. Lilac brushed her hair aside and cleared her throat before talking to Milla.

“Do you want to play something?”

“Sure!” Milla replied enthusiastically, tail wagging. 

“Alright...” 

Lilac crossed her arms and scanned the arcade. Eventually, her face lit up as she noticed something. 

“How about skee ball?” she suggested. Milla looked at the aforementioned game in the distance and tilted her head. 

“I’ve never played before,” the hound mentioned. Lilac walked to her side before responding. 

“It’s easy, I’ll show you.” Lilac then looked over her shoulder at Carol. “Unless you want a crack at it?”

Carol crossed her arms.

“Nah, I’m good,” she answered nonchalantly, “The winner should play Milla.” 

“Technically, I didn’t win. You just lost,” Lilac commented as her sentence turned into a chuckle.

“I will drop kick you.”

Lilac giggled before guiding Milla over to the skee ball machines. Carol took residence leaning on an out of order arcade machine as she watched Lilac teach Milla. The hound picked up quick and they started their match in earnest. Whenever Milla nailed a high scoring shot, Lilac would stop to give her a double high hive. And when Milla messed up, Lilac would put a hand on her shoulder and say something encouraging. 

Carol allowed a small smile to form. For the first time since who knows how long, Lilac seemed like her old self. Optimistic, full of life, and just generally fun to be around. Hope welling up in her, Carol felt a pleasant pressure in her chest. Maybe she can get her best friend back sooner than she thought.

A sudden chiming from the skee ball machine pulled Carol from her thoughts. Milla scored in one of the hundred point pockets, she beat Lilac! The hound squealed with delight and jumped in place as her machine poured out tickets like a faucet. Carol’s eyes widened.

How in the...

“Milla, that was awesome!” Lilac praised with a wide smile. Milla stopped jumping and smiled back at Lilac, tail wagging at the speed of light. 

Carol shook her head and gave a smile of her own before approaching and addressing Milla, prompting the hound to face her. A mechanic approached the arcade machine she leaned on.

“Not bad. I don’t think even I got that many points before!” Carol exclaimed with an approving nod. Milla turned back to her tickets before asking a question. 

“So, what do I do with these?” 

“Take them to the guy at the counter and you get to pick out a prize!” Lilac explained. Milla faced Lilac as her smile faded and she fidgeted.

“By myself?” she asked timidly. Lilac gave her a small pat on the head before responding.

“He’s really nice, you’ll do fine.”

“Okay...”

Milla lifted her enormous bundle of tickets and started making her way across the arcade, occasionally stopping to peek over the bundle and see where she’s going. Carol stood beside Lilac as they kept an eye on Milla, they kept watching until she made it to the counter. 

Carol looked at Lilac, who still had her eyes on Milla, and allowed a smile before speaking quietly. 

“Having fun?”

“Yeah. Looks like she is too,” Lilac answered before facing back at her with a smile of her own, “Thank you for this.”

Carol’s chest warmed. She decided she enjoyed hearing Lilac so appreciative, it means she’s doing something right. 

Before she could say anything though, a loud snap sent a sharp jolt up her spine and made her jump. Looking at the source of the noise rewarded her with the sight of the mechanic from earlier scurrying away from the arcade machine Carol leaned on. A panel on the side of the machine had been removed, exposing damaged and sparking wires. Carol could almost make out electric currents. Catching her breath, Carol couldn’t help a comment.

“Whoa, did you see-...”

Lilac’s ear splitting scream interrupted her.

Carol recoiled away from Lilac as her ears rang for a brief moment. Stunned and her heart frozen, Carol could only stare at Lilac as the dragon trembled and covered her face. Eventually, the situation hit Carol like meteor, filling her with dread, sending her heart plummeting, and making her eyes widen. The wildcat ran up to Lilac’s side and gently grabbed her by the arm. 

“Lilac. Lilac!” Carol called, “What’s wrong!?”

Lilac didn’t respond, instead an almost indiscernible muttering could be heard from her. Listening closely, Carol could make out what she was saying. Well, whimpering, more like. 

“Don’t tell him anything...don’t tell him anything...don’t tell him anything...”

Oh no.

This mantra stopped and gave way to chocked sobbing and gasping. Beginning to panic, Carol clenched her teeth and looked around. She noticed the mechanic staring at them, as well as more people starting to take unwanted interest. 

“Lilac, this way!” she quietly hissed into her friend’s hearing aid before shoving her away from the approaching crowd. 

The pair ventured further into the arcade, avoiding any other bystanders who might get curious, and took shelter behind a row of arcade machines. Carol positioned herself so she was in front of Lilac before gently grabbing her hands, which were still covering her crying face. 

“Lilac, come on. Look at me!” Carol pleaded, trying desperately not to shout as her heart went into overdrive. 

Carol pulled down on Lilac’s hands, feeling a bit of resistance. Eventually, she succeeded in revealing Lilac’s face, which was now covered in tears. Still crying, Lilac opened her eyes and made eye contact. Carol felt a sharp pain in her chest just looking at her, but she hid her discomfort. 

“Lilac? Carol?” 

You. Are. Kidding.

Lilac gave a sharp gasp, prompting Carol to put a finger to her lips and shush her. The wildcat then peeked around the arcade machine. In the middle of the arcade stood Milla, looking around and holding some sort of plushie Carol couldn’t make out. 

Panicking, Carol snapped back around and covered her mouth as her eyes widened, her chest tightened and her eyes watered from a strong urge to cry welling up her throat. Thinking of Lilac, the wildcat blinked her tears back and grabbed the dragon by the arms before looking into her eyes.

“Lilac, listen to me,” Carol ordered as she wiped Lilac’s tears away, “You need to get yourself under control before Milla finds us!”

Lilac, who’s crying became regulated to gasping and sniffing, frantically shook her head as she responded. 

“I can’t! It’s too-...”

“You have to!” Carol cut her off, hissing through her teeth. “In a few seconds, she’s going to sniff us out and find out about you. Is that what you want?”

“N-no, but...”

“Because that’s what’s going to happen if you don’t calm down!”

“Carol? Is that you back there?” Milla suddenly called.

Carol cursed under her breath and emerged from behind the arcade machine, smiling and trying to look as casual as possible. Her heartbeat accelerated to alarming speeds, but she maintained her facade.

“Hey, Milla!” she greeted cheerfully, “Did you get a prize?” 

Milla tilted her head before responding.

“Uh, yeah. Where’s Lilac?”

“I’m right here.”

Carol’s blood ran cold. Lilac stepped out into view, she gave a friendly smile and held her hands behind her back. 

“Is something wrong?” Lilac asked. The juxtaposition between now and a few seconds ago gave Carol a nauseating case of whiplash. 

“Well, I heard someone scream,” Milla answered. Lilac brushed her hair aside before responding.

“We did too. It doesn’t look like anyone’s hurt though.” Lilac pointed at Milla’s plushie. “Is that you’re prize?”

“Yeah! It’s a little purple dragon!” Milla proclaimed excitedly as she held up the plushie in front of her, “Isn’t it funny looking?”

This dragon plush didn’t bear any resemblance to Lilac, instead it stood quadruped and sported wings. Carol could’ve sworn she’d seen it somewhere.

“Aw, it’s so cute!” Lilac exclaimed, “Hey we’re going to have sushi soon. Why don’t you head outside? We’ll catch up.”

“Sure thing! I’m starving,” Milla commented before turning to leave.

Once Milla made it out of earshot, Lilac sighed, turned towards Carol, and let her forehead rest on the wildcat’s shoulder. The dragon took laborious breaths and resumed trembling. 

Yup, this seems about right, Carol thought bitterly.

Carol wrapped her arms around Lilac and held her for a good few seconds, she needs this too. Holding Lilac and basking in the warmth emanating from her allowed Carol to slow her heartbeat to a reasonable pace. After a few seconds, Carol felt relaxed enough to talk again, thinking back to their earlier conversation.

“Now do you feel like talking?”

Lilac nodded.

Carol let one arm drop and the other to snake behind Lilac and gently grab her shoulder, allowing her to guide her best friend out of the arcade.

*****

The outdoor dining area bustled with energy and conversation, yet Lilac didn’t feel much more lively than before. The dragon laid her head on the table with her arms as pillows, she barely registered Carol sitting next to her on the bench. Thoughts of what happened in the arcade drowned out everything else, eliciting a dejected sigh from her.

A light scratching sensation on the back of her neck pulled Lilac from her discouraging thoughts, prompting her to turn her head and face Carol. The wildcat smiled at Lilac as she gently brushed her fingers across the back of the dragon’s neck. Carol’s touch allowed Lilac’s muscles to relax and filled her with a conformable heat. Still, Lilac lacked the strength to return her best friend’s smile.

Carol’s smile shrank, sending a sharp jolt through Lilac’s chest. The dragon’s appreciation went unannounced and it drove her insane. Before she could think of anything, Carol whispered two simple words that put her worry to rest.

“It’s okay.”

This tiny bit of encouragement gave Lilac the boost she needed to finally smile back as her chest relaxed again. The dragon sat up with a groan and covered her face, then let her hands slide down her face and drop into her lap. Carol leaned on the table and dropped her smile before speaking again.

“You know what I’m about to ask.”

Lilac dropped her smile as well, her heart dropped with it. Her gaze fell to the table before answering.

“In the arcade.” She paused and took a breath. “All the lights reminded me of...”

Trailing off, Lilac couldn’t get the dreaded words to leave her mouth, prompting her to close her eyes in frustration. Lucky for her, Carol knew how to finish the sentence. 

“When Brevon tortured you?”

Lilac’s shoulders tensed up and her hands balled into fists in her lap. Brevon’s words violated her mind and chilled her bones.

“I’ll bet I could hack away at your limbs all day and you’d still find a way to bite back!”

Lilac forced her eyes open and looked at Carol, she needed to see her face, something to keep her anchored in reality. 

“Yeah,” the dragon confirmed. Carol sat up straight before asking something else.

“And that arcade machine sparking like crazy...?”

“Didn’t help.”

Lilac sighed after saying that and her gaze fell again. Hands trembling, heart pounding, Lilac let a lone tear escape. Before it could make it down her cheek, Lilac felt something soft press against her face. With a frown, Carol held a finger up to her cheek and let the tear fall on it, before gently wiping away the wet streak it left behind. 

This elicited a sigh from Lilac and slowed the rapid beating of her aching heart. Though no longer troubled by Brevon, at least for now, another issue came to mind. Lilac didn’t want to bring it up, but a deal is a deal.

“I freaked out,” Lilac mentioned, voice barely above a whisper, “That means we need to go home now, right?”

Carol scratched the back of her head and glanced off to the side, catching Lilac’s attention and making her eyes open more.

“Well, you did lock it down pretty quick,” Carol explained, Lilac picked up on some hesitation in her voice, “I guess we can stay a little longer.”

Lilac sat up straight.

“Really?”

Carol seemed to reel for a split second, then she met eyes with Lilac, crossed her arms, and grinned before answering her.

“Yeah! Besides, this place is pretty rocking, I’m having way too much fun here!”

Lilac gave a smile, a gentle pressure gripped her heart. She would have leapt off the bench and hugged Carol, had the wildcat not looked ahead and made an announcement.

“Milla incoming!”

Carol scrambled out of her seat to take residence on the other side of the table, leaving Lilac to straighten up, quickly adjust her hair, and put on a perky face. Lilac lowered her hands in her lap while Carol propped her elbow on the table, allowing her to rest her head in her hand. 

Milla approached with a decently sized plate of sushi and a timid frown before speaking.

“I’m sorry for taking so long. There was a really long line!”

“It’s okay, you did great!” Lilac said with a smile.

“Yeah yeah, congrats all around,” Carol commented with her eyes glued to the sushi plate. Lilac could’ve sworn she noticed drool near the wildcat’s mouth. “Now let’s eat!”

Milla smiled and set the plate down on the table before taking a seat next to Lilac. The dragon’s two friends started digging in immediately, but Lilac didn’t. Though the sushi looked nice and smelled delicious, Lilac just isn’t hungry. A tap on her foot below the table brought her attention to Carol. The wildcat donned a subtle glare and gestured toward the sushi plate. 

Lilac nodded, resisting the urge to glare back, and picked up her chopsticks. The sushi didn’t go down easy, through no fault of its own. Just looking at the plate knocked the wind out of Lilac’s sails. Luckily, Lilac managed to hide her discomfort. If it weren’t for the large gap in time between bites, you wouldn’t think anything was amiss. 

“Um, Lilac?”

Milla’s timid call relieved Lilac of her unwanted meal, but she managed to choke back a sigh before turning to look down at Milla and responding with a welcoming smile.

“What’s up?”

Milla stared down at the table and rubbed her arm, Lilac took note of her reddening face. 

“Hey, it’s alright,” Lilac assured as she gently placed a hand on Milla’s shoulder, “You can tell me anything.”

After a few seconds of silence, the hound finally met eyes with Lilac and gave a weak smile. Lilac had to strain in order to hear Milla’s quiet reply.

“Thank you!”

Lilac tilted her head before giving her own reply. Thank you for what? The trip?

“Oh, no problem! We can do this again if you want. There’s this spot in Shang Tu where-...”

“No, not that,” Milla interrupted, raising her voice a little and putting her hands up, “Well, I am thankful for this, but...”

Milla dropped her gaze as she trailed off and held her fingers up to her chin. Lilac thought it prudent to let Milla find the words on her own, rather than pester her and make her flustered. Eventually, the hound found them and met Lilac’s gaze again.

“I mean thank you for taking me in!”

Lilac reeled back slightly and raised an eyebrow, then quickly softened her face and found her voice.

“Yeah, no problem. But what brought this on?”

Milla fidgeted with her hands as she responded, her voice cracked every now and then.

“Well, I never did thank you when I first moved in. You’re doing so much for me and...”

Milla stuttered and tripped over her words before locking up and glancing off to the side. Looks like she didn’t need help to get flustered, Lilac thought. Before Lilac could say anything to calm her down, Milla lunged forward and wrapped her arms around the dragon’s waist. 

Lilac’s eyes widened and she lifted her arms. The force from Milla’s tackle nearly shoved her off the bench, the hug almost squeezed the air out of her lungs. Still, Lilac managed a smile and held her canine friend, gently scratching the top of Milla’s head as she did so.

“I’m glad we met,” Lilac whispered into the hound’s ear. 

Milla’s tail wagged furiously. 

The tension from before seemed a distant memory to Lilac. She could spend an eternity in this moment if she could. Seeing Milla happy, knowing she appreciates everything Lilac does for her, it makes all the pain, fear, and exhaustion worth it. 

Lilac looked up at Carol, who smiled back and gave a wink. The dragon couldn’t help a giggle.

*****

Zao’s Shopping Paradise, probably the tackiest mall to ever exist. Though Carol might only be thinking that because it’s owned by Mayor Zao, admittedly. The massive shopping center suffered minor damage during Brevon’s incursion. Thankfully, Carol led the group through an entrance quite a distance away from the damage sights, for which she received a quiet thanks from Lilac.

“Wow! I forgot how huge this place is!” Milla announced as she sprinted ahead on all fours. This prompted Lilac to run after her with her arm outstretched.

“Hey, wait! Don’t run off!”

Carol sighed and shook her head before following.

The group decided to let Milla lead the way and choose a store to visit. Though due to the hound’s excitement, all she did was wander through the mall drinking in the sights while Lilac and Carol trailed behind. Carol didn’t notice any stores she’d be interested in, so she just kept her attention on Lilac. The dragon seemed alright, looking perky while keeping her eyes on Milla. 

But Carol knew better. 

The wildcat winced as she thought back to the arcade, potentially anything could set Lilac off. One minute she’s laughing like a hyena and having a good time, the next she turns into that shell shocked little girl Carol hates so much. It’s like the good times never happened...

A sigh from Lilac pulled Carol from her thoughts. The dragon briefly closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose before looking ahead, her perky face noticeably absent now. Carol’s stomach turned and she frowned, her previous thoughts wouldn’t go away. No longer able to contain her worry, Carol moved closer to Lilac as they walked. She then let her hand hang and brush against Lilac’s. The dragon responded by loosely intertwining their fingers. Not quite holding hands, but enough for Carol to feel more at ease.

“Hey! How about here?”

Milla’s call made Carol jump and quickly retract her hand. The hound stood in front of a clothing store with a big smile on her face. Lilac stepped forward with her returned perky face before speaking.

“Great idea!” 

Carol rolled her eyes and forced down a groan, she should’ve seen this coming. Still, if Lilac has fun doing this, it’ll be worth it. 

The next few minutes, which felt like hours to Carol, were spent with wildcat following Lilac and Milla around as they looked at dresses, coats, swimwear, anything that caught their eye. Though Carol tried her best to keep an eye on Lilac, her mind would occasionally wander as boredom set in. Her posture worsened as the minutes ticked by.

Carol stood up straight once she noticed Milla approach her. The hound held up some folded clothes with an enthusiastic smile before speaking.

“Lilac says you’ll like these.”

Carol raised an eyebrow as she took the clothes. She inspected her gift, noticing leather, before responding.

“Uh, thanks.”

Milla nodded before running off back to Lilac.

Finally, after Lilac and Milla amassed quite a bounty of clothes, the group decided to try them on. Granted, it did take some desperate insistence on Carol’s part. Milla went off to change in a fitting room while Carol and Lilac waited on a nearby bench. Carol took a peek through the clothes they had draped over the bench, the selection reminded her of how much of a girl Lilac is. 

“There’s no way we’re walking out with all of these, is there?” Carol pointed out. Lilac sighed before responding.

“Nope. Even with the discounts.”

Carol turned towards Lilac, who looked down with half open eyes. Carol’s stomach turned again at the sight, she can’t just do nothing about this. The wildcat scooted closer to her best friend and gently placed a hand on her back with a smile. Lilac looked back at her, she didn’t smile back. Hunched and squinting, she looked tired. Finding it contagious, Carol dropped her smile. Still, she wanted to bring something up.

“I’m guessing we can’t afford for you to see someone about...you know, either?” Lilac looked down and shook her head. Carol glanced off to the side and scratched the back of her head as something came to mind. “We could steal from some rich jerks, it’s been a while since-...”

“We can’t do that anymore,” Lilac interrupted as she palmed her forehead and closed her eyes, “We’re on the Magister’s radar now, he won’t give a second pardon.”

Carol frowned and looked back at Lilac. The dragon now has to worry about money on top of everything else. Though concerned about the former, especially since their old lifestyle won’t cut it anymore, the latter bothered Carol more. Carol reached around Lilac, gently grabbed her arm, and pulled her closer before whispering something.

“We’ll figure something out, we always do.”

Carol felt Lilac’s head press against her shoulder, prompting the wildcat to look down at her friend. Lilac looked up at her with a small smile, making Carol’s heart beat irregularly. That smile along with holding her like this, warmth filled Carol’s chest and spread through her limbs, eliciting a smile from her and making her tighten her grip on Lilac. 

The sound of a door opening prompted the two to frantically separate, Carol leaned forward on the bench while Lilac at up straight and perked herself up. Milla hesitantly peeked out from her fitting room, Carol noticed her face reddening. The hound stayed there until Lilac leaned forward and gave a friendly smile.

“It’s okay. Come on out!”

Lilac’s encouragement seemed to do the trick, Milla slowly made her way out, face red and hands behind her back. The hound wore a modest, short sleeved, dark green sundress going down to just below her knees. Carol had to admit, it looked loose and comfortable. She still has no desire to put on anything with a skirt, though. 

“Aw, look at you!” Lilac squealed as she clasped her hands together with an adoring smile. Milla seemed to relax as she smiled back and let her hands fall to her side. 

“H-How do I look?” the hound asked.

Carol gave a toothy smile, deciding it’s her turn to chime in.

“Without a doubt, the most adorable thing to walk on Avalice!”

Milla widened her smile before giggling and doing a small twirl. Carol gagged as she felt something almost squirm up her throat and out her mouth. Maybe it’s time to dial down the adorableness. 

Lilac’s turn. 

While the dragon changed, Carol kept her eyes glued on the changing room door. Or she would have if Milla didn’t try to get her attention. 

“Uh, Carol?”

Though a trivial interruption, Carol couldn’t help but get annoyed. One look at Milla, who gazed down and fidgeted with her hands, did away with the wildcat’s annoyance, making her soften her face before responding. 

“What’s up?”

Milla looked up at her, back down, then up again. 

“Um, I know you don’t like doing this kind of thing,” the hound explained timidly, “But I’m really glad you’re here!”

Carol reeled a bit but quickly recovered, putting on a friendly smile and patting Milla on the head.

“It’s alright. I’m just glad to be hanging out with my two favorite girls!”

Milla smiled and wagged her tail. No matter how annoying the hound could get, Carol couldn’t stay mad at her for long. Their chat ended when the fitting room door opened. 

Carol wasn’t prepared for what came out. 

Standing up straight with elegant posture and a smile, Lilac wore a blue, noticeably form fitting qipao designed with symmetrical patterns of rolling ocean waves along the sides. Though it sported short sleeves, the dress offered a relatively generous view of her legs. Bug eyed and completely devoid of any thought, Carol couldn’t tear her eyes away from this sight. 

“Wow! You’re so pretty!” Milla exclaimed as she jumped from her seat and ran up to the dragon. Lilac giggled before responding to her excited friend. 

“Thanks! This wasn’t easy to put on.”

Snapped out of her trance, Carol got a better look at Lilac. You couldn’t pay Carol to wear something like this, it looked a little too constrictive and showed off a little more than what she was comfortable with. 

Still, on Lilac...

The dragon looked in Carol’s direction, bringing her out of her thoughts. At a loss for words, Carol silently thanked Lilac for speaking first.

“What do you think?”

Carol briefly looked away and scratched her head. The words “insanely beautiful” came to mind, but that seemed a little weird to blurt out. With more effort than what should’ve been necessary, Carol finally came up with a response before facing Lilac again and smiling.

“You’re a...uh...a t-total knockout...” 

That didn’t come out how it was suppose to. 

Carol felt heat rush to her cheeks as the urge to speak more rose through her throat. One look at Lilac suppressed this urge, the dragon’s face reddened and her smile widened as she shifted in place. This sight brought back Carol’s smile and calmed her down.

“Thanks...”

Lilac’s gratitude and body language made Carol forget the troubles they discussed earlier. Though these problems still existed in the back of her mind, all Carol can see is a beautiful dragon finally enjoying herself after a long period of suffering. 

Suddenly, Milla popped out from behind Lilac and hugged the dragon’s arm.

“It’s Carol’s turn!” the hound announced with an excited smile, prompting Lilac to look down at her and giggle before turning her attention back to Carol.

“Well, you heard her.”

Carol rolled her eyes and collected the clothing Milla brought earlier before heading into the fitting room. Though a little annoyed at having to do this, it’ll be worth it if it keeps Lilac happy. Once inside, Carol unfolded the clothes before her and tilted her head.

Huh, this can work.

The wildcat quickly suited up and made her exit. Deciding to put on a show, she grinned, kicked the door shut behind her, and leaned on it by her shoulder with her hands in her pockets. Lilac and Milla jumped at the sudden noise, but quickly put on excited smiles at what they saw.

Carol wore a biker jacket and a pair of tight jeans. Deciding her usual black top and red scarf matched with the outfit, she left the jacket unzipped. The jeans were a little too form fitting for Carol’s taste, but not so tight she felt constricted in any way. 

“Oh wow, Carol!” Lilac commented with wide open eyes and her hand over her mouth.

“You were right, Lilac,” Milla pointed out as she smiled at Carol, “She does look cool!”

“Told you!”

Carol felt a pleasant pressure in her chest, turning her grin into a smile. She didn’t normally care about her appearance, but Lilac’s compliment, well, it felt good.

Carol had more fun the next few minutes, by virtue of not having to try on anything else. Instead, she acted as a sort of judge for Lilac and Milla as they tried on different outfits. The wildcat found it difficult to give Lilac a low score, her own fault for being unreasonably beautiful no matter what she’s wearing. Carol also found solace in Lilac’s enjoyment, their previous downer of a conversation seemed a distant memory. The wildcat knew it wouldn’t last, so she savored this break.

Eventually, Lilac and Carol found themselves back in their usual attire while waiting outside the fitting room for Milla, leaning back against the wall as they did so. Carol glanced in Lilac’s direction, the dragon slouched against the wall, but the tension from before appeared absent. In fact, Carol could swear she seemed relaxed and content. 

This sight brought a smile to Carol’s face. Lilac turned and locked eyes with her, making her smile too. No sign of the scared little girl from before, for which Carol was grateful. Feeling the urge to start a conversation, Carol opened her mouth to speak, and would have if Milla didn’t interrupt from in the fitting room.

“Uh, Lilac? I need help getting this off...”

Lilac turned to the door before responding.

“Alright!”

The dragon gave Carol one last quick smile before heading into the fitting room. Carol looked at the door for a few seconds, smile remaining. Eventually, she glanced down for a brief moment and made for the bench. On the way there, something caught her eye. Something stuck out from their stack of clothing on the bench, a piece of paper or something? Once Carol got close enough for decent look, her eyes widened and her heart froze. It’s a playing card.

An ace of spades. 

Carol stood still. There’s no way this is a coincidence, it’s one of his cards. Why leave it here? Is it explosive? Would he even try something like that? Carol closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and looked closer. Though her adrenaline still surged, she could think clearly now. Discovering something written on it, Carol concluded it wasn’t explosive. Still, she felt the need to be careful as she picked it up to read it. 

“Out of order women’s restroom. Second floor.”

He wants to meet? Carol scratched her head. He never wants to meet. In fact, he made it explicitly clear he wants nothing to do with her or Lilac. What’s the deal?

Feeling her stomach do a pitfall, Carol thought of Lilac. With the way Lilac is right now, there’s no way she can meet him of all people. What it would do to her...Carol decided it best to shove that thought as far away as possible. Still, just ignoring this won’t make it go away...

Carol looked at the fitting room, then the card, then the fitting room again. She kept looking back and forth for who knows hows long. If they don’t go, he’ll just try something more direct. If they do go, Lilac will be exposed to some old wounds on top of her new ones. Not knowing what to do, Carol held her head, clenched her teeth, and started hyperventilating. Her heartbeat accelerated to an almost agonizing pace. 

Among the panic and confusion, an idea suddenly came to mind. 

Carol stored the card in her pocket before heading for the fitting room. Though her heart still raced, she managed to get her breathing under control. The wildcat knocked on the door, receiving a reply from Lilac.

“Someone’s in here!” 

Carol cleared her throat before speaking, hoping her anxiety didn’t show in her voice.

“Um, it’s me. I need to head to a restroom real quick, I’ll be right back!”

“Wait, what?”

Carol sensed a bit of panic in Lilac’s voice, making her wince and turn her stomach with guilt. Technically, this is breaking one of their rules, but, this has to be done. 

“I really need to go. I’ll make it quick!”

A couple seconds of silence ensued before Lilac replied.

“Uh, okay...”

Swallowing her guilt, Carol made for the exit.

*****

It took a little bit for Carol to find the restroom described in the note. Yeah, it’s a mall, but this is still an absurd amount of bathrooms! What, do they have tolls or something?

Carol stood in front of the bathroom door with her hands in her pockets, unable to recall the last time it took this much courage to go into a restroom. What could he want? A trap came readily to the wildcat’s mind, but it didn’t make a whole lot of sense. Yes, he hates her and Lilac, but he seemed content just parting ways. 

Carol sighed. If anything does happen, she can handle herself.

The wildcat slowly pushed the door open and peeked inside, adrenaline steadily rising. Seeing nothing, she finally entered. Sinks to the left, stalls to the right, but nobody to greet her. Carol’s hair stood on end and she balled her fists. Somehow, being alone in here seemed worse than seeing him.

“Uh, hello?” she called out, “I’m here!”

No answer.

Carol suppressed a groan as checking the stalls came to mind, she held her breath and started looking. Chest seizing, Carol slowly made her way down the isle and peered into each stall, not finding anything in any of them. One stall left, Carol bared her claws. If anyone else is here, this would be the only place left. Deciding not to give herself time to freak out, Carol leaped in front of the stall with her claws at the ready.

Nothing.

She really is alone in here. Carol exhaled, feeling her stress leave with the air, and retracted her claws as her eyes closed. Maybe he won’t show and she can-...

“You’re getting rusty.”

Carol gasped and her eyes shot open as she spun around, her chest feeling as if on fire. In front of her stood a panda in dark clothing and a red scarf, a former mentor, a former friend. Sour memories resurfaced and prompted Carol to glare before saying his name.

“Spade.”

The panda leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, a slight glare betrayed the resentment in him. Carol’s trepidation gave way to volatile animus, making her head pound and her muscles tighten.

“I thought you hate shopping.”

Carol didn’t respond to Spade’s snarky comment. Spade then sighed and looked away, raising Carol’s ire even more.

“Where’s Sash?” Spade asked. Carol’s blood boiled at the mention of Lilac’s hated first name. She inhaled sharply through her nose before responding.

“Lilac doesn’t want to see you!”

“She never does, and the feeling’s mutual,” Spade commented as he made eye contact, his glare narrowed, “In fact, I’m ecstatic I don’t have to talk to that idiot right now!”

That’s it.

Carol bared her claws and lunged forward, only for Spade to roll out of the way and shove her against the wall. With a growl, Carol pushed herself off the wall and spun back around, only to catch a kick from Spade in her side. The force sent her tumbling into a stall, but she caught the door frame before she could fall. 

“Hold on a second! I’m-...”

Carol didn’t let Spade finish. Her rage reaching its fever pitch, Carol leapt out of the stall with a shrill shout and swiped with her claws, managing to rip into Spade’s arm as he guarded. The panda grunted in pain and reeled back while holding his injured forearm, removing his hand from the injury revealed blood on his palm. Before Carol could attack again, Spade held his hand up before shouting.

“Will you knock it off!? I’m not here to fight!”

Carol stood in place and seethed, glaring and holding her claws out as she hyperventilated through her teeth, blood dripped from the claws on her right hand. Head still pounding, it took every ounce of discipline Carol had not to rip Spade to shreds right there. Eventually, her hyperventilation became regulated to sharp breathing through her nose and she lowered her arms at her sides, though her claws remained bared. 

“I’ve never seen you so ready to tear somebody apart,” Spade commented as he stood up straight. Carol clenched her fists before retorting. 

“Screw you! Why are you here?”

Spade sighed before leaning on one of the sinks. Carol took note of the deep gashes she left in his forearm, unable to help a bit of satisfaction. 

“Been keeping up with what’s been going on in Shuigang?” Spade asked, not facing her. Carol looked back up at his face before answering, still glaring.

“A lot of protests. Some idiots aren’t big fans of the peace talks going on.” 

Spade made eye contact with her.

“That’s it?” 

Carol’s glared narrowed at his remark. Spade stood up from the sink and turned towards her for continuing. 

“Well, I suppose the less you know, the better.”

“Get to it!”

Carol’s order elicited a clenched fist from Spade. The wildcat just wanted him to say his piece and leave so she could get back to Lilac.

“The Red Scarves did a job in Shuigang recently,” Spade explained, “We pulled it off, but we were spotted. Shang Tu has an interest in what we did, but circumstances prevent them from acting.”

“What does this have to with us?” Carol interrupted as she crossed her arms. Spade walked closer to her before continuing. 

“Given your history with the Red Scarves, I suspect you’ll be getting a call from Shang Tu’s Royal Magister. I’m here to tell you to turn down his job offer.”

Carol’s glare faded and she frowned. If the Magister is involved, this must be big. Her thoughts went to Lilac before she asked something. 

“Why is he so interested? What did you do?”

“Like I said, the less you know, the better,” Spade answered as he turned around, “All you need to know is that I have it under control, your involvement will only make things worse. Stay out of it!”

With that, Spade made his exit from the restroom.

Carol’s arms dropped and she gazed at the floor. Thoughts racing, it took her a minute to remember she had blood on her claws. The wildcat made for the sink and turned the faucet, raising an eyebrow as nothing happened.

Right, out of order.

Luckily, the bathroom still had paper towels. Not exactly a thorough cleaning, but it’ll have to do. 

As she wiped her hand, Carol thought of Lilac. Red Scarves, the Magister, Shuigang, a recipe for something dangerous. Maybe she should listen to Spade. With Lilac the way she is, who knows what this could do to her? The possibilities made Carol tense up.

Wait, Lilac!

Bug eyed and realizing how long she’s been gone, Carol tossed her paper towel and sprinted out of the restroom. 

*****

Why does this store seem so much bigger than before? Carol could barely find her way around. She thought she found the bench they used earlier, but the clothes they collected were absent. Panicking, Carol held her head as she paced back and forth. 

She kept this up until she heard crying nearby.

Carol stopped moving and focused as her blood ran cold. Eventually, she traced the sobs to the fitting room from before. The wildcat stopped shy of opening the door. Lilac’s in there all right, but busting in like a lunatic might make the situation worse. Carol took a deep breath and slowly opened the door. 

Inside, Lilac sat on her knees on the floor and held her head. Tears poured down the dragon’s face as she sobbed hysterically, occasionally interrupted by sharp gasps, hiccups, and stuttering the phrase “Don’t tell him anything!” 

Carol frowned and her ears drooped as her chest pained. No matter how many times she sees her best friend like this, it doesn’t hurt any less. The wildcat knelt down in front of Lilac and reached out to her, stopping when she noticed red on her still bared claws. Carol winced and inhaled through her nose, retracting her claws and bringing her hand back before quietly calling out to Lilac.

“It’s okay, I’m here.”

Lilac slowly opened her eyes and lifted her gaze towards Carol, her eyes had grown puffy and she wouldn’t stop trembling. After a few seconds of staring at each other, Lilac threw her arms around Carol’s neck and buried her face in her shoulder before resuming crying and whimpering the wildcat’s name. Carol pulled Lilac into a hug and narrowed her gaze. Once the weeping dragon calmed down enough, Carol ask something important.

“Where’s Milla?”

Though still sobbing and sniffing, Lilac managed to stutter her answer out.

“I tuh-...I told her to wait outside...”

Carol thought back to what Spade said and her heart dropped. Her thoughts then went back to when she, Milla, and Torque discovered Lilac in Brevon’s base. She had already been tortured by then, her skin charred and she couldn’t even stand, only tremble in agony as she coughed her lungs out. Crippled, hurt, broken. 

And the Magister needs her again.

Carol tightened her embrace of Lilac and grabbed the back of the dragon’s head, she then squeezed her eyes shut and held her close. Not again, Carol thought. Lilac can’t get hurt again! The tortured image from before wouldn’t leave Carol’s mind. 

A lone tear escaped her.

*****

Milla patiently waited outside the mall as she held a bag full of what little clothing they could afford. It didn’t matter how much they bought, today was wonderful regardless. A smile found its way on the hound’s face as she thought about how fortunate she is, and how cool her friends are. 

Footsteps from behind prompted Milla to turn around, rewarding her with the sight of Lilac and Carol walking out of the mall. The hound’s smile widened and she ran up to her two friends. Lilac gave a smile before speaking.

“Did you have a good time?”

“Absolutely!” Milla answered jubilantly.

“I hope so, because we’re going home now,” Carol mentioned as she stretched. 

Turning her attention to Carol, Milla’s smile faded as she picked up an odd sent. Unable to control her instincts, Milla sniffed and sniffed as she zeroed in on the source, nose twitching. Her search brought her to Carol’s right hand. The wildcat didn’t take kindly to this.

“Hey, cut it out!”

Milla reeled back and hid her face behind the shopping bag as she frantically apologized. A gentle touch on her head prompted her to peek out from behind the bag.

“It’s okay, she didn’t mean it,” Lilac told her with a smile. The dragon turned her attention to Carol and gave a scowl. “What’s gotten into you?”

Carol crossed her arms before answering.

“No idea. Guess I’m just tired.”

Milla’s heart dropped, she hated seeing Lilac and Carol argue. Still, the smell on Carol’s right hand bothered her. 

It had a metallic smell.


	4. Opportunity

The bedroom door slowly opened, revealing a pajama clad Lilac. The dragon did a quick scan of the room. Carol’s already out like a light in her bunk, and Milla sat up in her little bed. With a smile, Lilac shut the door behind her, carefully so as no to disturb Carol, and approached Milla’s bed. The hound faced her and smiled back as Lilac knelt so they could be at eye level. 

“Goodnight,” Lilac whispered. 

Milla nodded and gave a goodnight of her own before laying down and pulling the covers over herself. Before Lilac could leave though, Milla got her attention.

“Lilac?”

Lilac’s heart skipped a beat. What does she want? Did she notice something? The dragon maintained her composure, but her smile faded. 

“Hm?”

Milla’s faced reddened before she whispered, her smile noticeably absent.

“I had a lot of fun today!”

Lilac’s chest relaxed and her smile returned. She then reached out to Milla and gently brushed her fingers through the hound’s hair. 

“Yeah, me too,” Lilac whispered back. 

Milla’s smile returned, but it didn’t stick around. Lilac’s gentle touch seemed to have an effect on Milla, the hound’s eyes slowly closed and her head sank further into the pillow. Once Lilac determined Milla had fallen asleep, the dragon retracted her hand.

For a moment, Lilac just stared and smiled at her sleeping friend. That one comment was all Lilac needed. All she needed to say the trip worked. All she needed to make enduring the nightmares and hallucinations worth it. All she needed to shove that mutant monster to the back of her mind. 

For three seconds.

A laugh echoed from outside the room. Lilac’s smile disappeared, her eyes snapped open, and she sprang to her feet. Another laugh brought her attention to the doorway. Footsteps coming from beyond, someone’s coming upstairs. 

Lilac’s breathing grew in frequency and volume, her hands trembled, and a haunting cold welled up in her chest and spread. She slowly backed up and held her hands up to her chest. Don’t make any noise, she told herself, don’t wake up Carol and Milla. You’re okay, it’s not real.

“What makes you so special?” a low guttural voice called from out the doorway.

Oh, it’s real.

Lilac backed up against the wall, the footsteps grew louder and closer. Her breathing exacerbated into hyperventilating, forcing her to cover her mouth and frantically breathe through her nose. Lilac’s muscles locked up, preventing her from moving so much as a millimeter. She squeezed her eyes shut as her lungs burned.

Unable to take the burning in her chest anymore, Lilac’s hand fell from her mouth and she gave a raspy gasp. Her legs gave and she fell to her knees. Still leaning against the wall, Lilac curled up and wheezed almost violently. No matter how much she inhaled, her lungs remained empty. 

Eventually, Lilac dared to open her eyes slightly, but quickly closed them again. While open, she could just barely make out the silhouette of a large, mutated Milla. 

Lilac covered her face and just stopped breathing all together. The beast’s warm breath caused her to sweat, its labored growls spurred her to tremble and whimper. Lilac couldn’t move, eventually her senses abandoned her. The world around her just didn’t exist, only the unbridled terror. 

Not that Lilac had any right to complain, this is all her fault. The monster tormenting her was once an innocent little pup, one that followed her and payed the price. If Milla kills her here, it’ll be...

Before she could finish her thought, Lilac noticed she couldn’t hear the monster anymore. The courage to open her eyes returned, rewarding her with the sight of an empty bedroom. Well, empty aside from Carol and Milla still sleeping. 

Lilac’s eyes opened all the way and she hesitantly sat up straight. Suddenly, the burning in her lungs returned, forcing her to inhale sharply and grab her chest. Lilac heaved shaky breaths as her heartbeat returned to tolerable levels, the burning in her chest gradually dissipated. Once her breathing calmed, Lilac sighed and palmed her face in her hands.

The trip didn’t change a thing, Lilac is still to blame.

Something caught the dragon’s eye, making her eyes widen and her head snap up. Every little dancing shadow caught her attention, making her gaze dart all across the room. Lilac’s imagination got the better of her, making her feel extremely exposed just sitting on the floor. Still, she didn’t want to stand up and give herself away to what may be hiding in the room.

So Lilac compromised, she slowly crawled on all fours towards the bed, wide open and slightly bloodshot eyes darting around as she did so. Eventually, she made it to the bunk beds, using the ladder to pull herself back on her feet. The dragon’s arms and legs buckled as she slowly pulled herself up. 

Finally standing, Lilac noticed Carol sleeping in the bottom bunk. Ungracefully sprawled on the bed, the wildcat had kicked the covers off in her sleep. Lilac became laser focused on her slumbering best friend, the longer she stared, the less she trembled. After about a minute, Lilac finally calmed down and gave a relieved sigh, closing her eyes and letting her head hang. She then looked back up at Carol as her sobriety set in.

Lilac frowned as she went over what just happened, the hallucinating, the panic attack, and the crawling. That’s only counting now, there’s still everything else that happened today in Shang Mu! Lilac’s blood boiled at how much of a mess she is, how pathetic she’s become.

And Carol has to deal with it all.

Filled with pity and indignation, Lilac clenched her fist. It’s not fair to Carol, none of this is! Eventually, Lilac let go of the ladder and let her head hang with a sigh. Too tired to be angry at herself, she had to settle with just feeling sorry for Carol.

Lilac hesitantly took a seat on Carol’s bed, hunching with her hands in her lap. With a frown and half closed eyes, she just stared at the wildcat for a few seconds. Despite her feelings, Lilac couldn’t help but relax as she watched Carol sleep. After a long day, the hardworking cat can finally get some well deserved rest. Deciding to help, Lilac gingerly pulled the covers back over Carol. 

Once she completed her task, Lilac gave a smile. Just watching Carol sleep, snug and warm in her bed, she’s earned it big time.

What Lilac wouldn’t give to be with her right now, for Carol to just hold her, tell her everything is going to be alright, and make her problems go away. Lilac reached out to Carol, but stopped and retracted her hand with a frown and a disappointed sigh.

Lilac doesn’t deserve someone as amazing as Carol.

*****

So cozy, Carol could just lay here forever. Come to think of it, why is she so cozy? Her curiosity getting the better of her, Carol struggled against the haze and the comfort in an effort to open her eyes. Though she could only open them halfway, she could see enough to notice she’s still under the covers.

Huh, weird. Carol usually kicks them off in her sleep. But man, did she feel relaxed, so much so she closed her eyes, let her fluffy tail wave lazily, and gave a content smile. In fact, Carol couldn’t remember the last time she had this much of a good night’s sleep. Not that she’s complaining. 

Well, Carol did do a lot last night, and despite Lilac’s episodes, it was fun. Still, Carol couldn’t shake the feeling she’s forgetting something...

The sound of the phone ringing downstairs jogged her memory. 

Spade. The Magister. 

Lilac!

Carol’s eyes snapped open and a chill enveloped her, prompting her to throw the covers off and sprint out of the room. If that call is from who Carol thinks it is, things are about to get worse for Lilac. 

Not again, not again, not again...

But if Carol can just get to the phone first, Lilac will be none the wiser! This whole thing can be avoided. Downstairs, in the kitchen, yes! Almost...

“Hello?”

No...

Carol slid to a halt just shy of the kitchen doorway, on the other side in the living room stood Lilac, her back turned, on the phone. 

No no no...

“General Gong? Why are you calling so early?”

Carol’s blood ran cold at the mention of Gong’s name. Lightheaded, she just barely noticed Lilac turning in time to duck behind the wall. Bug eyed and sweating, Carol’s breathing accelerated and rose in volume as she leaned back against the wall. 

“What for? What does he need?” 

Lilac’s question put a stop to Carol’s frantic breathing, and her heart. Her entire body tensed up as she listened. 

“Well, alright then. We can be there around noon.”

Something gave. Carol hunched over and held her now aching head. Getting fidgety, Carol started pacing around the kitchen as she clenched her teeth. 

She screwed up. If Carol had just got her lazy butt out of bed and reached the phone first, she could have told General Gong to shove it and Lilac wouldn’t know a thing about Spade. Now what? Stupid cat! Stupid, stupid, stupid! 

“Carol?”

Heart leaping up to her throat, Carol lifted her head and faced her visitor. Lilac stood in the archway, fidgeting with her hands and swaying slightly. 

“Uh, morning,” Lilac greeted as she glanced away and frowned. She hunched slightly and could barely keep her eyes open. The sight of her like this reminded Carol how unprepared Lilac is to deal with whatever the Magister needs, but it also allowed the wildcat to switch into ‘take care of Lilac’ mode. 

Carol put on a smile. But before she could say or do anything, Lilac slumped in a chair and rested her head on the kitchen table, using her arms as pillows. Carol dropped her smile and scratched the back of her head. Though she wanted to know what General Gong said, she also had to see what’s up with Lilac. One thing at a time. 

The wildcat approached her worn out friend and stood near her. Lilac didn’t give any indication she acknowledged her presence. Carol cleared her throat and crossed her arms before starting off with a simple question, keeping her voice low so as not to startle Lilac.

“Something wrong?”

Lilac remained silent at first, which did nothing for Carol’s discomfort over what she just heard. Eventually, the dragon responded, her voice muffled from her face being buried in her arms.

“I didn’t get much sleep.”

Carol took a seat and scooted next to Lilac, leaning on the table before asking again.

“Nightmare?”

“Worse,” Lilac replied as she sat up and leaned back in her seat. Carol took note of the bags under her half open eyes. “I hallucinated...about...”

Lilac trailed off and leaned forward on the table, palming her head and exhaling through her nose. Carol’s heart sank as she frowned, the sight of Lilac like this certainly didn’t inspire confidence. Unable to contain her worry, Carol reached forward and gingerly took Lilac’s hand. Lilac lowered her other hand and met eyes with Carol. For a moment, the pair just stared at each other like this, then Lilac looked ahead and took a deep breath before continuing.

“I saw the monster Milla turned into.” 

More silence. Maybe she still isn’t comfortable, Carol thought before encouraging her.

“What did she do?”

“Nothing. She just stood there and stared at me,” Lilac answered, voice cracking slightly. Carol felt her grip tighten on her hand, “Even when it ended, I still felt like I was being watched. I couldn’t fall asleep.”

Carol stared ahead with bug eyes and a slightly agape mouth. Her mind filled with images of Lilac lying awake at night, trembling and jumping at every shadow she sees. Stomach turning, Carol wanted to vomit. Despite her disgust, Carol’s blood boiled as another thought came to mind, making her exhale sharply and glare at her best friend. 

“Then why didn’t you wake me up?” Carol asked indignantly.

Lilac faced her again, then glanced off to the side with a frown. 

“I...uh...didn’t want to bother you,” she answered.

Hesitating, not making eye contact, red flags everywhere. But it’s not like Carol could think of a reason for Lilac to lie. Carol tightened her grip on Lilac’s hand, prompting the dragon to face her again, and put on a slight glare before retorting.

“We made a deal, Ms. Heropants! Next time, wake me up. I can deal with losing sleep if you’re scared!” 

For a moment, Lilac just stared at her. Then her frown worsened as she looked down and nodded. 

Carol’s glare softened away. Lilac’s already having a less than stellar morning, and here Carol is giving her a hard time. Granted, Lilac needed to hear it, but still. The phone call weighed on Carol’s mind, she wanted to ask but didn’t want to upset Lilac even further. After a few brief seconds of thinking, a light bulb went off in Carol’s head. She took a deep breath and smiled before making Lilac an offer.

“Coffee?”

Lilac’s face lit up as she looked back at Carol.

“Oh yes, please!” she answered with a smile.

Carol gave her best friend a quick pat on the shoulder before getting up and making for the kitchen. 

“You’re the best!” Lilac called from behind her. 

Carol responded with a lazy “Mm hm.”

While fiddling with the coffeemaker, Carol gave Lilac the occasional glance. The dragon still avoided eye contact, but otherwise seemed more relaxed. Carol decided now’s the time to ask, keeping her gaze focused on her task so as not to appear too interested. 

“So, who was that on the phone?”

A pause, Carol resisted the urge to look in Lilac’s direction. She then heard a sigh before Lilac answered.

“General Gong. Apparently the Magister wants to see us.”

Carol’s heart gave an irregular beat. She cleared her throat before asking again.

“Uh...really? What’s he want?”

“He didn’t want to say over the phone. I told him we’ll be at the Royal Palace at noon.”

“Hm...”

Fan-freaking-tastic. Spade is turning out to be quite the fortune teller.

Carol made sure to keep her glaring face hidden from Lilac. She no longer had the energy to conceal her worry and growing frustration. Luckily, the coffee took long enough for the wildcat to recuperate and put on another smile. Once the concoction reached completion, Carol delivered it to Lilac, who gingerly took it with a tired smile and a quiet thanks. 

The wildcat returned to her seat next to Lilac and stared as the latter enjoyed her coffee. As time went on, Carol’s chipper facade slowly dissipated, her smile weakened and her eyelids grew heavy. Spade was right, which means they’ll be crossing paths soon. That and they’ll have to deal with whatever the Magister wants, royalty doesn’t get in touch just to chat you up, especially when you’re a former outlaw who stopped an alien incursion and a civil war.

Lilac can’t deal with this, not now.

Blood boiling, head pounding, Carol donned a glare and exhaled sharply through her nose. Lilac’s situation, Spade, the Magister, she doesn’t know what to do. Does she tell Lilac about Spade? Would it be better for her to find out from the Magister? 

“Carol? What’s wrong?”

Lilac’s call elicited a sharp gasp from Carol and made her flinch. Carol looked at Lilac, who stared back worriedly.

“Are you okay?” 

Carol allowed her face to soften as her heart sank, she’s not doing any favors for Lilac right now. The wildcat sighed and rose from her seat.

“Yeah, just not a hundred percent awake yet,” she answered as she stretched, “Think I’ll get dressed and head out for a bit.”

Lilac stared at her for a few seconds, causing Carol to sweat. Eventually, the dragon frowned and started fidgeting. 

“You’ll still be nearby, right?” Lilac asked quietly.

That question sent an unpleasant chill through Carol, but she hid her discomfort with a grin before answering.

“Yeah, I won’t go far.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

Lilac looked down at her coffee, eyes half open. Eventually, she looked back and nodded with a warm smile. Carol gave a thumbs up and made for the stairs. Once she made it out of sight, she let her smile drop.

Carol needs to get out of this house, now.

*****

Dragon Valley is famous for its geysers, which crowded the clearing Milla found herself in. Little solace from the constant noise and heat blasts could be found. Good, Milla thought, she needed a constant distraction for what she’s about to do.

Standing in the middle of the geyser group, Milla closed her eyes. Conjuring a phantom cube requires concentration, but the world isn’t a quiet place, so full of distractions. Before, her abilities were limited to summoning large and clumsy cubes to throw, all the noise and danger prevented her from focusing and unleashing the true potential of these cubes. 

Milla took a deep breath through her nose and outstretched her arms. The geysers are just background noise, like other patrons at a restaurant. Yes, you can still hear them, but you’re not involved with them, you’re focusing on the person you’re with and your meal. The lives of others happen all around you, yet do you see them happening? Do they affect you? No. These geysers are no different. 

The hound could still hear them, but they’re nothing, just chatter from bystanders. She could now focus on her summoning. Milla cupped her hands, a green glow radiated from them and brought forth a small phantom cube. Opening her eyes and tilting her head, Milla didn’t know what to make of this. The cube barely filled her hands, is this really better than before? The cube’s form undulated and rippled, making Milla gasp but quickly regain her focus, solidifying the cube once more. Then, she slowly lowered her hands.

The phantom cube hovered in place.

Her heartbeat accelerating, Milla let a giggle escape. Miraculously this didn’t break her concentration. In fact, her excitement seemed to amplify it. Nothing else matters except this moment, and it maintained the cube. Milla let her arms drop to her sides and guided the cube behind her. 

She summoned it, now it’s time to use it. 

Milla looked forward with a determined glare and pulled back a balled fist, her focus didn’t waver. She then thrust forward with her palm, and in that moment she acknowledged the geysers, her focus broke and the world around her existed once more. Both this and her palm thrust prompted the phantom cube to snap to her palm and burst forward in an explosive blast of energy! 

The recoil from the blast shoved her off balance, making her gasp and flail her arms wildly ash she balanced on one foot. Eventually Milla regained her footing and sighed in relief. She then looked down and noticed skid marks in front of her feet, the blast actually sent her back!

Milla’s eyes widened and she giggled while jumping in place. What force! What a kick! This method is way more powerful than before. If she can just get the timing down, she could increase her fire rate twice over! Lilac is going to be so proud of her...

A scream broke her concentration. 

Milla froze in place and went bug eyed as she balled her hands over her mouth. What happened? Is someone hurt? She relaxed and lowered her hands. If someone’s in danger, she has to help. 

The hound sprinted on all fours in the scream’s direction. Taking note that she’s heading back toward the tree house, Milla’s heart raced at the thought of Lilac and Carol in danger. This only encouraged her to pick up the pace.

Another scream, brief and sharp, but something’s off about it. Milla stopped and stood up as she raised one of her large ears. More screaming, actually it’d be more accurate to call it shrieking. Now that Milla could hear it clearly, it sounded more angry or aggressive rather than distressed. Walking closer, she recognized the voice.

Carol?

Judging by how loud her shrieks are, Carol must be just on the other side of these bushes. Milla slowly approached them with a frown and her hands over her chest. Though worried about Carol, the intensity of her shrieking kept the young pup from investigating further. 

Eventually the noise died down, leaving Milla standing there waiting for anything else to happen. Realizing she hasn’t been breathing, Milla took a deep breath. It’s time to see what the deal is, she decided. Milla tentatively stepped forward and pushed some bushes out of the way, just enough so she could see and not be seen. 

There in the clearing, Carol paced back and forth with her arms stiff at her sides, hyperventilating and sporting the scariest glare Milla has ever seen. After a few seconds of this, the wildcat held her head and gave a shrill screech.

Then chaos ensued. 

Carol repeatedly slashed at the nearest tree with her claws, threw rocks, pulled her hair, shouted words Milla’s parents told her not to say, she completely lost it. A rock soared past Milla’s head, eliciting a gasp from her she turned and ducked. Hugging her legs and squeezing her eyes shut, Milla trembled and forced down her whimpering. Carol’s rampage raged on behind her. 

The screaming and intensity paralyzed Milla. Robots, mutants, Brevon, nothing is scarier than someone she likes getting angry. But this seemed more than that, almost desperate and panicked. What ever it is, Milla wished Carol would just stop.

Eventually, she did. Somehow the following silence unnerved Milla more than Carol going nuts. Still shaking, Milla slowly opened her eyes and rose to her feet. The hound’s stomach tightened as she hesitantly turned around. Burning lungs alerted Milla to her own lack of air, forcing a sharp inhale from her before she pushed the bushes out of the way again.

Carol seemed to have worn herself out, she sat on a log and hunched over as she covered her face and took labored breaths. The still trembling hound just stared for a moment, she then took a deep breath and let her shaking die down. Though Milla’s heart still ached, her concern for her feline friend outweighed her colossal anxiety. 

Frowning, Milla slowly crept into view, she hunched slightly and clasped her hands together in front of her chest as she approached Carol. The wildcat let one of her clawed hands drop and rest on her knee, revealing a sight Milla didn’t expect. Tears leaked from Carol’s closed eye, occasionally she sniffed and gave a weak exhale. 

Milla stopped moving and her frown vanished. What in the world could make Carol of all people like this? 

Before Milla could ask, Carol’s eye snapped open and stared right back at her, making the hound’s blood run cold. Carol’s tail fluffed up and arched behind her. Milla knows what this means, and it prompted her to literally stuff her own tail between her legs and slowly back up. The wildcat didn’t move a muscle and kept her eye laser focused on Milla the whole way, making her hold her breath.

Once she felt she backed up enough, Milla turned and sprinted on all fours into the wilderness. Panting and sweating, she didn’t dare stop. Yeah, Carol is more ill tempered than most, but this is something else entirely! Way out of Milla’s league to deal with, whatever Carol’s problem is.

At least Lilac isn’t this moody.

*****

The Royal Palace felt different to Lilac as she led Carol and Milla through its halls. Shang Tu is still her favorite out of the three kingdoms, whereas Shang Mu blasted you with shops and flashy advertisement, Shang Tu appeared more humble by comparison with its beautiful architecture and art scene. In a nutshell, less corporate and more culture.

But the ornate statues of ancient, serpentine dragons glaring down at Lilac reminded her of a less than comfortable fact, making her cross her arms and look down so she couldn’t see the statues. Lilac’s ancestors aren’t the divine beasts Avalice believes them to be. 

There are very few people outside this palace who know this. On the way here, Lilac took note of Shang Tu citizens praying or leaving offerings at small shrines in the streets. What use to seem innocent now comes across as cult like and disturbing to Lilac. For centuries people wasted their lives worshiping a fantasy. Her people weren’t gods, just highly advanced. 

Still, it’s a good thing they aren’t around to see her like this...

“You’re late.”

Yanked from her thoughts, Lilac gasped and nearly jumped out of her skin. She maintained her composure upon seeing the panda girl who addressed her. Said panda stood rigid and glared back at Lilac with detached dutifulness, holding an ornate yet lethal spear upright to her side. Lilac stood up straight with her arms at her sides before greeting her.

“Neera Li.”

“Sash Lilac.” 

Lilac clenched a fist at her side and her chest tensed, yet she managed to suppress a glare. Nobody gets to call her ‘Sash’, not even Carol. It’s just not who she wants to be anymore, Sash was a blind idiot who couldn’t see the harm in her own...actions...

...

Lilac decided against furthering this train of thought, at least for now.

“Um, hi,” Milla squeaked from behind. 

Lilac let her hand relax and looked back at Milla. The pup held her hands behind her back and glanced down. making Lilac frown. The tension must be getting to Milla, so Lilac too a quick breath and faced Neera again. Time to hit the reset button.

“Sorry we’re late,” Lilac mentioned with less vitriol than before. Neera’s gaze narrowed.

“Summons from the Royal Magister are to be taken seriously!” she lectured. Lilac forced back the urge to roll her eyes. Neera’s glare softened away and she gave a tired sigh before continuing. “Let’s just go, and don’t touch anything.” 

Neera turned around and started leading the group further down the hall. As they walked, Lilac realized an unusual fact; Carol didn’t say a word. This prompted her to glance behind at her feline friend. Carol had her hands stuffed in her pockets and she looked off to the side as she walked.

Lilac raised an eyebrow. There’s no way Carol would have kept quiet in front of Neera, especially after that “don’t touch anything” comment. No quip, no indignant protest, not even an ambiguously racial slur about pandas. What’s going on?

“Wait here,” Neera ordered, catching Lilac’s attention. The panda walked ahead to a pair of double doors and started conversing with the guards.

Lilac recognized one of the guards, a bird, and put a hand on her hip as she racked her brain trying to recall where from. 

Oh yeah! He’s the one who piloted that hovercraft in Jade Creek, when she broke out of prison with Carol and Milla and were pursued by...Neera...

Lilac let her arm drop and went stiff. Her breathing stopped and her pupils dilated 

Sprinting through a bamboo forest, sirens getting closer, need to hide. Dodging missiles from a submarine as she runs along the hull. Brevon’s robots hiding around every corner. Neera...

Neera’s going after them. She’s standing right there...

Lilac’s vision became glued on Neera, her breathing grew labored and her instincts screamed at her to run. A small part of her told her to stay put, that nothing’s wrong, but it’s getting weaker. Despite how much she’s breathing, it doesn’t feel like she’s getting any air, worsening her already growing terror. 

It hurts. It’s too much. Lilac needs Carol. 

The dragon whispered Carol’s name, no response. Lilac’s foot scooted back, she gritted her teeth and resisted the urge to run. It’s not going to last, so she glanced at Carol and whispered her name once more, louder this time. Finally, Carol did a double take and went bug eyed before quickly recomposing and grabbing Lilac by the arm. The wildcat positioned herself so Milla couldn’t see and gave Lilac a concerned frown.

Her face, her touch, it kept Lilac anchored in reality, stabilizing her breathing and giving her just enough self control to appear fine. Even so, Lilac’s fight or flight instinct triggered whenever she glanced at Neera. If it weren’t for Carol, she’d be out of here by now. 

“Good, now stay alert,” Neera ordered the bird guard.

“Weh.”

The two guards opened the double doors. Neera briefly turned around, making Lilac flinch, and beckoned for them to follow before entering. That brief look from Neera did something to Lilac, her legs buckled, her arms shook, and her heart rate accelerated despite Carol’s touch. She wanted absolutely nothing to do with Neera. 

Carol and Milla starting moving forward, but Lilac stubbornly remained in place. Still holding on to her arm, Carol yanked Lilac forward, making the dragon gasp and stumble forward. 

“Lilac?”

Lilac quickly stood up straight in response to Milla’s voice. A look in the hound’s direction revealed her staring back with innocent eyes. Lilac gave a small reassuring smile, she wanted to think it was genuine, but it felt automated and robotic. 

“I’m okay. Just tripped is all,” she lied.

Milla smiled back and nodded, relieving some of the tension in Lilac’s chest, and walked ahead. Lilac dropped her smile and let out a sigh. She tried moving, but seeing Neera ahead froze her on the spot again. A squeeze on on Lilac’s arm prompted her to look at Carol, who looked back with a warm smile. 

“Come on Little Miss Heropants,” Carol whispered. 

Her words filled Lilac with a pleasant heat and put a smile on her face. Lilac then looked forward and took a deep breath through her nose, finally possessing the courage to move forward. 

Luckily, they were able to catch up to Milla and Neera before either of them got suspicious. Occasionally Lilac’s newfound courage would falter at the sight of Neera and she’d drag her feet, prompting Carol to pull on her arm in order to continue walking. 

Eventually, the group made it to the all too familiar throne room. As Lilac expected, the Royal Magister and General Gong were there waiting in front of the absurdly huge balcony, what she didn’t expect was for Mayor Zao to be there too! Before she could say anything, Neera motioned for the group to stop. It seemed as if the two leaders were in the middle of a conversation.

Lilac felt Carol grab her hand and give it a quick squeeze before letting go, putting a smile on the dragon’s face.

“And should the worst happen, I trust I can count on Shang Tu’s support?” Mayor Zao inquired. The short mayor stood with his chest out and his hands behind his back, making Lilac want to gag. Two Shang Mu soldiers flanked him.

“Of course, but Shang Mu needs to meet us halfway,” the Magister answered with is arms crossed. His features couldn’t be discerned under his regal robes. “Both our nations would be imperiled!” 

That’s not an encouraging fact, Lilac thought. She looked over to General Gong, who stared at the floor with a somber glare. That didn’t help either.

Mayor Zao scoffed before retorting, “With no disrespect towards your...humble nation, Shang Mu covers a far larger territory. I’ll need all the troops I can spare!”

“Be that as it may, we’d both stand a better chance if...” the Magister trailed off and looked in the group’s general direction, doing a double take and holding his hands behind his back. “Ah, Neera!”

“Your excellency,” Neera said as she knelt. 

Lilac and Milla followed her lead. The former glanced at Carol, who remained standing with a raised eyebrow, and gave an exasperated sigh before grabbing her and yanking her down to the floor. This earned an annoyed glare from the wildcat.

Mayor Zao was the first to speak, doing so with a narrow glare, “I trust you girls had a splendid time in my mall?” 

After everyone rose, Lilac looked at Zao and raised an eyebrow before responding, “How did you know we were there?”

“Please, after everything that’s happened, why wouldn’t I know if you three turned up in one of my properties?” Zao answered. The mayor then went bug eyed before laughing nervously and scratching the back of his head. “Er...Which I haven’t received so much as a penny from since I took office!”

+5 Covering up!

Lilac frowned and looked off to the side, the idea of being on someone’s watch list didn’t sound very appealing. Then again, it’s Zao, so maybe there isn’t too much to worry about. She looked at Carol, who just shrugged.

“I’m afraid I must be going,” Zao announced after collecting himself. He turned to the Magister. “We’ll finish this discussion another time.” 

The mayor and his guards made their way past Lilac and company, with the aforementioned dragon eyeing them as they walked by. 

“Damned fool...” the Magister muttered under his breath, catching Lilac’s attention. He then sighed and crossed his arms as he made eye contact with her. “Apologies, dragonblood, I hoped my business with Mayor Zao would have concluded before your arrival.”

“It’s nothing, your excellency,” Lilac responded. She didn’t envy anyone who had to deal with that narcissistic little sleazeball.

Neera stepped forward and took a post at the Magister’s side, earning a nod from the latter before he looked back to Lilac.

“Very well, then onto more important matters,” the Magister said, “I am thankful you and your friends have come, and do not wish to take up too much of your time.” 

Lilac smiled and gave a courteous nod, then glanced behind herself to check on Milla and Carol. The former’s gaze focused on the Magister while she fidgeted. Shy, but otherwise attentive. The latter had her hands on her hips and let her gaze drop to the floor, obscuring her face from Lilac’s view. 

Lilac’s smile faded and her gaze narrowed. Carol seems distracted, in fact she’s been acting weird since they arrived in Shang Tu...

“Are you aware of the peace talks between the three kingdoms?” the Magister asked. Lilac flinched a little before facing him again. Carol still occupied her mind, screwing with her focus a little. 

“Y-yes,” she stuttered, still a little shaken.

The Magister raised an eyebrow, making Lilac’s chest tense up. Eventually he shrugged and continued his explanation, allowing Lilac to sigh in relief. 

“Even though there hasn’t been any armed conflict since Brevon’s defeat, a ceasefire hasn’t officially been agreed upon.”

“So technically, the war is still on,” General Gong added. Neera shot a glare at him, Lilac guessed for interrupting the Magister. 

“Yes, thank you General,” the Magister said. Lilac detected a bit of stress in his voice, whether it was from Gong interrupting or Neera’s look, she couldn’t tell. “Mayor Zao of Shang Mu has agreed to sign a peace treaty. But there are elements in Shuigang, both government and civilian, who wish to continue hostilities.” 

“Oh you’ve gotta be kidding!” 

Lilac, along with everyone else in the room, jumped and stared at the person who just shouted; Carol. The wildcat stood rigid and clenched her teeth as she glared at nobody in particular.

Neera approached her and gave a glare of her own before demanding, “Watch your tone, Missy!” 

The two stared each other down. Lilac, noticing Carol’s tail fluff up, would have intervened had the Magister not spoken up.

“Ladies, please!”

Carol and Neera looked at the Magister, then each other, then the Magister again, before huffing and turning their backs on each other. Carol pouted and crossed her arms while Neera returned to the Magister’s side. Lilac stared at her feline friend for a few seconds, eyes wide open. Even for Carol, this isn’t normal, definitely need to have a chat with her after this. 

Lilac then looked at Milla, who hugged herself and looked between Carol and Neera nervously. The dragon put on a friendly smile and put a hand on Milla’s shoulder in an effort to calm her down. The pup looked back at her and smiled.

The Magister cleared his throat, grabbing everyone’s attention again, and continued, “Indeed, there are many in Shuigang who still believe Brevon’s lies.”

“But that shouldn’t matter, right?” Lilac asked, still at Milla’s side, “It’s Prince Dail who has the final say, and he knows the truth!”

The Magister closed his eyes and sighed. Suddenly, an ominous pressure filled the air. A chill enveloped Lilac, whatever the Magister had to say next could not be good. Indeed, it wasn’t. 

“Prince Dail has gone missing.”

One would think this would be cause for questions, but either Lilac’s hearing aids aren’t working, or nobody is saying a word. Not that Lilac could hear anything regardless, her gaze fell to the floor as her thoughts blocked everything out. 

A sudden tug on her arm snapped her out of her trance, bring her attention down to Milla. The hounds stared at her with a frown and her hands clasped together. After everything the Magister just explained, it’s not hard to imagine why. Lilac wanted to say something, anything, to reassure her. To tell her everything is going to be just fine.

That didn’t happen. Lilac’s mouth hung open in an attempt to form words, but none came out, leaving her looking like a deer in headlights. Try as she might, Lilac couldn’t say anything hopeful or encouraging, because either one would be a lie. 

Thankfully, Carol broke the silence by clearing her throat, grabbing everyone’s attention. 

“Now, not to sound rude,” Carol said, Lilac could tell by her clenched fists that she couldn’t care less about sounding rude, “But how in the world did Shuigang lose track of the last surviving member of its royal family!?”

Well, technically not last, Lilac thought.

The Magister opened his eyes and looked at the group again, seemingly unfazed, and explained, “According to the palace’s security staff, he was last seen in his private chambers. One morning they investigated when he didn’t come out. No sign of a struggle, no forced entry, no sign of the Prince.”

Feeling more comfortable now that Carol broke the silence, Lilac spoke up.

“So what happens if he isn’t found?” she asked, already aware she’s not going to like the answer. The Magister’s downward gaze and low voice confirmed this.

“Shuigang’s current de facto leadership could, in theory, declare an emergency and crown a new king. And given the amount of bad blood between Shuigang and the other two kingdoms, he most assuredly would push for a renewed war.”

“Oh...”

Feeling her stomach turn, Lilac instinctively looked to Carol. The wildcat stared back with widened eyes. For a moment they just stared at each other like this. Lilac had come to expect Carol to comfort her when she’s scared, except this time there’s actually something to be scared about and Carol’s just standing there looking just as scared as she is. The dragon couldn’t get over how surreal it felt...

“But all is not lost,” the Magister declared, catching everyone’s attention once more. He stood up straight and held his arms behind his back, seemingly regaining his spunk from before. “That kind of process hasn’t been done in recent history, it’s sure to be long and messy. This gives us enough time to conduct a search!”

“Wait, look for Prince Dail?” Lilac asked, somewhat comforted by the Magister’s confidence. “Even though this isn’t a Shang Tu problem?”

“Any chance to prevent a war must be taken. But you’re right, Shuigang would no doubt perceive our actions as meddling, given the current tensions. So discretion is a must.”

Lilac looked off to the side and crossed her arms. He does have a point, and Shuigang’s reasons for wanting to go to war are misinformed anyway. Still, that doesn’t answer a certain question, one that Carol turned out to be all too eager to ask. 

“Yeah, this all sounds important, but what does this have to do with the three of us?” 

“Though our range is limited, we have a few leads and already have agents on the hunt,” the Magister answered, “However, our strongest lead is one that you three would be most suited to pursue.”

The Magister then motioned to Neera, who nodded and stepped forward. The conversation mercifully took Lilac’s mind off her Neera related troubles from earlier, but she still had a bad feeling.

“On the night of Prince Dail’s disappearance, intruders were spotted on the palace grounds,” Neera explained, “They’ve been identified as members of the Red Scarves.”

To Lilac, the room didn’t exist, she floated in an empty void with nothing but her own thoughts to keep her company. She couldn’t breathe, or more like she didn’t bother. Dail, the Red Scarves, both of these reminded her of someone she thought was her friend, someone she fought during the Brevon incident. 

“Spade.”

Lilac’s own voice made her jump and brought her back to reality, bringing her face to face with Neera once more.

“Yes...we suspect he’s involved,” Neera commented. The panda raised an eyebrow at her, prompting Lilac to put more effort into maintaining her composure, which proved difficult due to her legs suddenly feeling like jelly. Thankfully, Neera seemed to lose interest and continued. “We hoped that, given your previous affiliation, you could provide some valuable insight.”

Though she still processed what Neera told her, Lilac couldn’t get Spade off her mind. Leaving her to face the Guardian of the Kingdom Stone, fighting on a Shuigang warship. Again, Lilac instinctively looked to Carol, but got thrown off by what she saw.

Carol crossed her arms and seemed to intentionally avoid eye contact. Lilac tilted her head, first the outburst now this? What’s going on with her?

The Magister cleared his throat, prompting Lilac to face him again, and added, “Not only that, but you’ll be able to search where we cannot, such as Shuigang. Of course you’ve done so much for all of Avalice already, dragonblood. We couldn’t possibly ask you to do this out of charity, so you shall be rewarded with a hefty sum.”

Lilac leaned her head back and went slightly bug eyed before asking, “H-How much?”

“We can negotiate your fee after the job is done,” the Magister answered, crossing his arms, “That is, should you accept.”

This is unreal, just yesterday Lilac was worrying about money! But she needs to potentially run into Spade, along with possibly other dangers...again. Then there’s Carol being weird.

Lilac looked around, feeling everyone’s gaze on her. She stuttered, trying to come up with an answer on the spot. But there’s just too much to process and worry about, not to mention having Spade ravage her thoughts.

“I uh...I mean we...” Lilac stuttered. She then took a deep breath and spoke slower. “I’m going to have to talk with my friends before we commit to anything.”

*****

That turned out to be worse than Carol thought.

As Neera escorted the trio back down the palace halls, Carol trudged along with her hands in her pockets and her eyes to the floor. She barely registered Lilac right next to her. It just doesn’t seem fair. Why does Lilac have to go through all this again? Especially with the way she is! 

Speaking of...

Carol turned her attention to Lilac, who she just now noticed taking labored breaths and staring off into nothing. The wildcat tensed up, knowing full well what this means. Still, there’s the problem of an audience, gotta do something about Neera and Milla first. 

“Hey!” Carol called out, grabbing everyone’s attention. Maybe she should of actually thought of something to say before grabbing the spotlight. Eyes darting from person to person, Carol chuckled and smiled nervously. Time to improvise! “I uh...kind of have something to talk about with Lilac. Mind giving us like, ten minutes?”

Silence ensued, making Neera and Milla’s stares feel oppressive to Carol. Eventually, Neera sighed and gave her response. 

“You have five.”

The panda then turned and marched on ahead, missing a glare from Carol. Milla, on the other hand, lingered and fidgeted. 

“What are you two gonna talk about?” she asked with a frown. 

Carol glanced off to the side for a brief moment before turning back with a returned smile, and answered, “Just big girl stuff, no big deal!”

After another few seconds of silence, Milla finally nodded and ran off to catch up with Neera.

Finally.

Carol dropped her smile and gently grabbed Lilac by the shoulders. The dragon flinched and stared her right in the eyes, allowing Carol to see eyelids barely being kept open. Before Carol could think to say anything, Lilac gave a heavy sigh and collapsed in the wildcat’s arms, prompting Carol to hold and support her in a hug. She didn’t even need to ask, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Spade being mentioned caused this.

“You’re alright, you’re alright...” Carol whispered. Lilac let out something between a sigh and a sob, shaking as she did so. This combined with thoughts of what the Magister said prompted Carol to squeeze her eyes shut and tighten her grip on Lilac. 

If she could, Carol would have lifted Lilac up bridal style and carried her home, away from the Magister, away from Spade, or anyone else that could hurt her. 

Carol pulled back so she could get a good look at Lilac again, yet she maintained a firm grip on her shoulders. Though droopy eyed, a small smile found its way on Lilac’s face, making Carol smile back. It didn’t last, Lilac’s smiled faded before she spoke.

“I know it’s him.”

Carol’s heart leaped up to her throat, thinking back to her encounter with Spade at the mall. But there’s no way she could know about that! Shoving back her paranoia, Carol decided to just ask.

“What gives you that idea?”

Lilac rolled her eyes and answered, “Prince Dail happens to go missing on the same night his bother’s gang is spotted near the palace? Come on!”

“Well, yeah...” Carol conceded. At least Lilac doesn’t know about the mall encounter, not that Carol should have worried about that to begin with. Regardless, this presents an opportunity. “But I’m guessing Spade’s the last person you want to see right now, so let’s just go home!”

Carol took Lilac’s hand and walked forward, she didn’t make it very far. Lilac remained in place, anchoring the now confused wildcat. Carol looked back and noticed Lilac looking off to the side and scratching the back of her head.

“Uh...about that...”

You’re joking.

Carol closed her eyes and sharply inhaled through her nose before saying in a low voice, “Lilac, do not say what I think you’re about to say.”

“Hey, I haven’t even decided yet!” Lilac retorted, glaring and yanking her hand away. “But...”

“But nothing! I hate to be the one to tell you this but, newsflash, you’re a wreck!”

“All the more reason to do this!” Lilac quickly covered her mouth and went bug eyed, then took a deep breath and straightened up before continuing, quietly this time. “He mentioned a fee! If we can negotiate a high enough price, maybe I can get the help I need.”

Carol’s hands balled into fists and she bit her lip. She almost acquiesced, but another issue came to mind.

“What about before that?” she asked, “You fall apart at the drop of a hat! What’s going to happen to you if we run into Spade?”

“I...I’m not...” Lilac trailed off. The dragon avoided eye contact and rubbed her arm. Yeah, this inspires confidence.

Carol put her hands on her hips and glared as she retorted with, “Not what? Scared? Because that’s what scared looks like!” 

“Alright, fine!” 

Carol stepped back with widened eyes, not prepared for Lilac shouting like that. For a moment Lilac just stood there and glared at her, then her glare faded and she closed her eyes as she held a hand to the side of her head. A sniff escaped her before she spoke again. 

“I’m not scared, I’m terrified! I don’t want to do this! But you heard what the Magister said, if Prince Dail isn’t found and this war happens, then everything we’ve done, everything I’ve been through...”

Will be for nothing, Carol finished in her head.

Carol relaxed and frowned, no longer feeling like the good guy in this. She just couldn’t think of anything to counter that, how do you tell someone to give up on something they suffered for? 

“Alright, we’ll think about it,” Carol said, making Lilac open her eyes and look at her. “But if we decide to do it, I want you to be absolutely sure it’s what you want.” 

Lilac stared at her for a few seconds, leaving Carol to wonder what’s going on in her head. Eventually the dragon gave a silent nod. Carol still didn’t like this, but at least the argument’s over. Maybe she can still convince Lilac not to go through with this later, not that she feels any better about that outcome.

This is going to suck either way.

“Come on,” Lilac said to her with a clearly forced smile, “We better catch up before Neera gets curious.” 

Carol sighed and started following Lilac down the hall. Wanting to avoid the awkward silence she saw coming, Carol got lost in her own thoughts. Or would have if Lilac didn’t chuckle to herself and speak up.

“Well, at least Spade wouldn’t be hard to find, since we know where the Red Scarves’ hideout is.”

Carol stopped in her tracks along with her heart, prompting Lilac to stop and face her with a frown.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

The wildcat didn’t move a muscle and just stared, starting to sweat. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Lilac stepped forward, making Carol flinch. Carol tried to think of an excuse, but that proved difficult due the dragon’s eyes seemingly boring right into her. She can’t think of anything else, she has to tell the truth.

“I...don’t think they’re there anymore...”

Lilac tilted her head as her frown vanished and stepped closer, before replying with, “Why? And how do you know?”

Oh...

Carol backed up a couple steps and gulped, not liking where this is going at all. She then straightened up and sighed. The hole’s been dug, no point in trying to claw out. So Carol pressed on.

“Remember when you were captured by Brevon and tor-...”

Lilac glared and crossed her arms. Stupidest. Question. In the history of stupid questions.

Carol shook her head and continued, “When Brevon captured you, I thought we could use some help getting you and Torque out, so I...”

“Went to the Red Scarves?” Lilac finished, raising her voice and putting her hands on her hips. “Even after what happened? Are you insane!?”

Carol glared back at her and clenched her fists, feeling her blood boil. After being talked down to like that, every fiber of her being screamed at her to fight back. Even with Lilac’s condition tempering her, Carol couldn’t help raising her voice a little when she gave her retort.

“What was I suppose to do, leave you there!? Milla and I wouldn’t have been able to break in on our own, you proved that! So we had to get help and...”

“What!?” Lilac interrupted, her arms now rigid at her sides. “I’m sorry, my hearing aids must broken. I could have sworn I just heard you say you brought Milla to a Red Scarves hideout!”

That’s it, time to let loose!

Carol got up in Lilac’s face and shouted, “How is that any worse than bringing her aboard Brevon’s ship!?”

Lilac stepped backwards and went wide eyed, moisture could be seen forming in her eyes. Carol immediately felt all her indignation drain away, replaced with her heart dropping like a meteor. She dropped her glare and held her hands over her mouth. 

“Oh my god, I...” Carol stuttered, trying to think of an apology as she processed just how badly she screwed up, “I went too...I didn’t mean...”

Lilac’s widened gaze dropped to the floor and her breathing grew labored again. The intensity of her gaze told Carol she’s barely even here now. After the hallucination Lilac had about Milla last night, that was the absolute last thing Carol should have said.

“Lilac...?”

Carol took a stepped forward and reached out to Lilac, making the dragon flinch and snap her gaze back up. Lilac stared back as tears finally leaked out and she sniffed. Carol didn’t even have time to feel more guilty before Lilac turned and dragon boosted off in the other direction.

“Hey! Wait!” Carol shouted as she gave chase. She fought back her own tears as she sprinted.

Yup, definitely not feeling like the good guy right now.


	5. Decision

This mint flavored toothpaste doesn’t taste like mint, Lilac thought as she brushed her teeth over the bathroom sink. In fact, it doesn’t taste like anything. Lilac spit into the sink after deciding to stop early. She then let the sink run as she leaned on it and stared into the mirror. Lilac’s reflection stared back with half open eyes and a tired frown, her hair remained unkempt from bed. Bags and dark circles accented her eyes, and her face seems to have lost much of its color.

Pitiful, fragile, not Lilac. 

Something stirred in Lilac, a dark and chilled pulse through her extremities, making her glare at her reflection. There’s only been one other time she felt this sensation; Brevon. She wanted to rip him to shreds for what he did, dragon boost him until he became little more than a green smear on his own ship. Never before had Lilac felt such raw and animal hatred for someone.

And now, her own reflection stirred these feelings again.

Lilac lowered her gaze to the sink and closed her eyes, not wanting to look at herself anymore. She shouldn’t be feeling this way, what would Carol think? Oh wait, she made her thoughts perfectly clear yesterday!

“How is that any worse than bring her aboard Brevon’s ship!?” Carol shouted, “her” being Milla.

Lilac’s frown returned and she held her head with one hand. Carol was right then, bringing Milla was a colossal screw up. Another bit of truth from Carol intruded her mind.

“Sometimes I think you’re trying to get us killed!”

Lilac gritted her teeth. Every decision she’s ever made has nearly got her friends killed. She’s an idiot, a walking disaster. Carol and Milla would be better off without...

“Thanks to you, your companions are in more danger than ever!”

Wait, that last one was...!

Lilac went stiff and her eyes widened. She didn’t think of that, it sounded like it came from behind! But that’s impossible, he’s gone, he shouldn’t be here. Her mind says she’s safe, but her body disagrees. She can’t move. 

Suddenly, something cold and rough wrapped itself around her and forced her to stand up straight, eliciting a brief scream from the now panicked dragon. Lilac thrashed about with a chorus of shrieks and grunts, but no matter how much she struggled, her attacker’s grip held her firmly in place. Sense and reason abandoned Lilac, leaving only a primal survival instinct to aid her.

Lilac ceased her struggle upon feeling cold steel under her neck, freezing once again and forcing herself to open her eyes. One look in the mirror and she wished she never did, yet her eyes refused to close, instead they widened open further as Lilac started hyperventilating. Trembling and sweating, Lilac’s mind went blank as she stared at her attacker’s reflection, her chest ached and her hyperventilating worsened from her shaking. Behind her stood a constant yet absent tormentor, the bogeyman in her closet, the monster in her nightmares. 

Behind Lilac, arm wrapped around her, knife to her throat, and sneering like the demon he is, stands Lord Brevon.

The alien warlord’s blood red eyes narrowed in the mirror as his smile showed teeth. Lilac let out a whimper, she wanted to scream so Carol could come to her rescue, yet her body disobeyed her. Just looking at Brevon kept her in place, he didn’t even need to hold her right now.

Brevon seemed to understand this, he loosened his grip on her and let his arm fall to his side. As expected, Lilac can’t move, only tremble and hyperventilate as she internally screamed at herself to fight back. Laser focused on Brevon’s reflection, Lilac didn’t even notice her lungs burning from inadequate breathing. 

A sharp gasp escaped Lilac as the knife shifted, pressing further into her neck. Her flesh began to uncomfortably bulge around the blade and her heartbeat accelerated to almost painful levels. At that moment, Lilac knew what Brevon had in mind, not that she expected anything else before. She then looked back at Brevon’s reflection, catching a brief glimpse of her own tear stricken face in the mirror. The alien warlord let out a brief chuckle, making Lilac’s heart stop. Lilac could finally feel a scream making its way up her throat.

“Allow me to show you the consequences of your stupidity.”

Brevon’s knife didn’t even move before she finally screamed.

But something in her throat gave, her scream cut off with a sharp gasp and the burning in her lungs became apparent, eliciting frantic wheezing from her and forcing her eyes shut. As if she wasn’t uncomfortable enough, Lilac’s insides lurched and she went dizzy, almost as if her orientation suddenly changed. 

Wait, it did! Lilac isn’t standing anymore, she’s lying down!

Lilac frantically propped herself up and forced her eyes open. It took a little bit for her vision to readjust, her dizziness didn’t help either. When her vision finally cleared, it presented a rather confusing sight. She’s in the bedroom, in her bunk. 

Lilac gasped as Brevon came back to mind. She snapped her hand to her throat and sighed at the lack of wounds on it. Lilac clasped her hands close to her chest and struggled to catch her breath. A nightmare, it was just a nightmare.

A noise from off to the side got her attention, she looked long enough to notice Milla stirring in her bed, making her gasp, quickly turn her back the hound, and lay back down. Her breathing still out of control, Lilac held her hand over her mouth in order to stay quiet. She then hugged herself and curled up under the sheets in an effort to stay still. For a moment, Lilac heard nothing. Maybe Milla just turned over in her sleep? 

“Lilac?” 

Nope!

Milla’s call prompted Lilac to go rigid and remain silent. Already struggling to catch her breath before, Lilac’s chest ached as she held her breath. The fear of discovery if Milla heard her outweighed her deprived need for oxygen. Still, her resistance waned, making her squeeze her eyes shut as the urge to inhale drove her insane. Just breathe, and relief will be yours!

“Are you okay?” Milla piped up, making Lilac almost flinch.

The hound’s voice sounded faint this time, weak. Please, Lilac thought, just go back to sleep! Tears leaked, it’s getting too much, she needs to breathe. Creaking bed springs from behind prompted Lilac to force open her moist eyes, Milla’s moving again. The noise eventually stopped and abandoned Lilac to a deafening silence.

Her curiosity outweighing her anxiety, Lilac slowly turned over, rewarding herself with the sight of Milla finally back asleep. The dragon’s strength finally gave, she turned over on her back and took desperate, barely quiet breaths as she closed her eyes and held her chest. Air, precious air!

Once her lungs finally relaxed, Lilac covered her face with her hands and gave an exasperated groan. She then let her arms drop to the sides and she stared up at the ceiling with heavy eyes. Now that the panic and adrenaline are gone, nothing stands in the way of her exhaustion and troubled thoughts. Lilac’s eyelids grew heavy and started to close, but the darkness exposed her mind to the nightmare from before, making her flinch and force her eyes open with a sharp gasp.

...Did something just move off to the left?

Lilac’s eyes widened and her heart stopped. Is she still dreaming? Was it just a shadow? She couldn’t move, not that she wanted to. For a moment, nothing happened. Lilac exhaled and closed her eyes once she decided she was seeing things.

Then something grabbed her arm.

Lilac gasped, yanked her arm back, and scrambled backwards after sitting up. Unable to see in the darkness, Lilac hyperventilated and muttered panicked gibberish as she crawled backwards. 

“It’s alright! It’s me!” a voice called to her.

Lilac stopped crawling and focused on what’s in front of her. Eventually, she could make out the outline of cat ears and a fluffy tail poking out from behind. 

“Carol...” Lilac exclaimed as she relaxed and palmed her face. “I didn’t know...”

“What happened? Are you alright?” Carol asked. Lilac’s eyes adjusted enough to make out Carol’s features. The wildcat stared at her with a frown and drooped ears. 

Lilac opened her mouth to speak, but nothing happened. Instead, Carol’s words from yesterday came to mind. Lilac frowned and looked away, turning herself around and hugging her legs. 

“Hey! Don’t be like that!” Carol whispered as she climbed onto the bunk.

Lilac said nothing. She wanted to speak, to ask for help. But the argument from yesterday came to mind and forced her into silence. Carol tapped her on the shoulder, prompting the dragon to sink her face into her knees. 

“Come on, at least look at me!” Carol pleaded. Lilac noticed her voice had softened, and she could have sworn Carol’s voice cracked at one point. 

That little push turned out to be all Lilac required to give in to her need for Carol’s company, she lifted her head up and turned to look at her feline friend. Carol sat on her knees and stared back worriedly, sending an unpleasant chill through Lilac.

Yup, there’s the guilt.

Carol scooted closer and asked, “What’s wrong? Nightmare?”

Her voice, so gentle, it spurred Lilac to speak. 

“I...uh...”

But nothing coherent came out, this still feels awkward after the argument. 

“Why won’t you talk to me?” Carol suddenly asked, making Lilac flinch. The wildcat must have noticed, she took a deep breath and lowered her voice. “Is this because of yesterday? Because I’m sorry, alright? You know how I get when I’m angry, I say dumb things I don’t mean!” 

Lilac looked away and frowned. Don’t mean? But Carol was right the first time! Lilac had no right to belittle her for bringing Milla to see Spade, especially after she brought Milla to fight Brevon. Carol has nothing to apologize for. Lilac got what she deserved. 

Carol sighed, catching Lilac’s attention, and said, “Alright, you clearly don’t want to talk. I’ll just go.” 

Lilac’s gaze snapped up at Carol just in time to see her turn around. Her eyes widened and her stomach lurched at the thought of being left alone. Before Lilac could even process what she’s doing, she quickly leaned forward and grabbed Carol’s arm. The wildcat stumbled but quickly caught herself, before turning and giving Lilac a bewildered stare. 

Lilac froze and just stared back. Her mouth hung open in an attempt to form words, but none came to mind. For a while, the two just stared at each other in unbearable silence. Finally, Carol closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose. Lilac suddenly felt Carol’s warm grip on her hand, which still held on to her arm, before Carol gently pulled the dragon’s hand away. Carol then opened her eyes and clasped both her hands around Lilac’s own, allowing the dragon to relax a little.

“You don’t have to say anything, just nod or shake your head,” Carol instructed, voice as quiet as can be, “Do you want me to stay?”

A lump formed in Lilac’s throat and her gaze lowered. Before, it just felt awkward being around Carol after that fight. But now, being held by her again, the nightmare seemed a distant memory. All the bitterness and yelling from before still polluted her mind, but the warmth from Carol’s company proved far too tempting to pass up. Lilac forgot how much she needs Carol.

So she nodded.

“Okay,” Carol said softly with a warm smile, soothing Lilac even further. 

This seemed like a good time to smile back, yet Lilac just didn’t feel like it. Carol, who seemed to notice this, dropped her smile and cleared her throat before speaking again.

“Mind scooting over?”

Lilac hesitated and fidgeted at first. Eventually she nodded and did as asked. What she didn’t anticipate was how awkward this turned out to be, the pair avoided eye contact as Carol got herself settled under the covers. The bunk had been built for one, forcing Lilac and Carol to press together. Lilac looked off to the side and her cheeks turned red. Yeah, they’ve been this physically close recently, but not like this!

For a moment, the two of them just sat scrunched up together, still avoiding eye contact. Carol finally broke the silence.

“Well, I guess...let me know if you need anything?”

“Uh...yeah,” Lilac finally answered. 

“Okay...goodnight.”

Lilac finally mustered the courage to turn and face Carol, only to see the wildcat turn her back to her and lay her head on the pillow. Unsure how to react to this, Lilac fidgeted for a moment before finally laying down herself, back turned to Carol. At first Lilac had trouble adjusting to such little space, but after a few seconds of squirming, the heat radiating off her best friend behind her grew...pleasant. Lilac gave a brief sigh as she finally made herself comfortable. 

It didn’t last.

A shadow moved on the wall, making Lilac snap her eyes open and gasp. She froze and her chest pained. After a few seconds of her eyes darting around, another shadow made her flinch and whimper. Lilac trembled and squeezed her eyes shut momentarily, before remembering that Carol is with her.

Lilac opened her eyes and slowly turned around until she faced the back of Carol’s head. She’s right there, Lilac can just lose herself in Carol’s company and make everything scary go away. But Lilac hesitated, she bit her lip and her eyes narrowed. Part of her wanted to think she didn’t deserve Carol, that Carol was wrong to apologize for yelling at her.

But right now, scared and tired, Lilac just doesn’t have the energy to resist.

The dragon propped herself up, reached forward, and gingerly grabbed Carol’s shoulder before giving her a gentle shake. Yielding no results, Lilac shook her best friend with a little more force and meekly called her name. Finally Carol stirred with a groan and propped herself up on her elbows, before slightly opening her tired eyes and looking in Lilac’s direction. 

Upon getting a look at Lilac, Carol widened her eyes, sat up straight, and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Lilac flinched at the sudden noise but quickly collected herself.

“I, uh...” the dragon stuttered. She took a quick breath and pressed on. “I can’t sleep.”

Carol exhaled through her nose and turned away as her eyes returned to their tired, half open state. Lilac’s heart sank at this sight, did she annoy her again? She would have asked if Carol didn’t interrupt her.

“Alright, come here.”

Lilac straightened up and snapped to attention, watching Carol lie back down and lay her arm off to the side. Heat rushed to the dragon’s cheeks as she stared. Being in bed with Carol like this, well, it’s certainly new. Still, Lilac would be lying if she said it isn’t tempting. After a couple seconds of nothing happening, Carol turned to look at Lilac and gave a shrug with a raised eyebrow.

“Well? You coming?” she asked, making Lilac jump.

“Y-yeah...”

Face almost as red as a tomato, Lilac scooted closer to Carol and slowly lowered her head on the latter’s shoulder. Tension formed in Lilac’s stomach as she went rigid, this quickly ended when Carol wrapped her arm around her. The tension in Lilac’s stomach escaped in the form of a satisfied sigh and she allowed herself to relax in Carol’s embrace. 

“Comfy?” Carol asked gently.

Lilac smiled and responded with a content “Mm hm...”

Lilac couldn’t remember when she last felt this snug and warm, if such a feeling ever occurred. As always with Carol’s help, Lilac’s troubles retreated to the back of her mind. Lilac secretly wished she could do this with her best friend forever, now she gets to experience it for almost a whole night! Being surrounded by nothing but Carol allowed her to finally close her eyes and drift off to sleep. 

Unfortunately, that last part didn’t happen. Lilac opened her eyes halfway and her smile faded. Now that the tension is gone, her guard broke and let something else in, something that brought tears to her eyes and made her lip quiver. A sniff from her heralded her desire to start crying. She fought it at first, only letting out shaky breaths. But then the reason for her distress finally came to mind, and the last of her resistance crumbled.

Lilac squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face in Carol’s shoulder as the sobbing came forth. She muffled her crying at first, then she turned her face away from Carol for air, allowing it to be heard loud and clear. Something is stirring in Lilac and this is the only way to let it out. On cue, Carol lifter her head and gave Lilac a gentle shake.

“Hey! What’s wrong?” she asked.

Carol’s voice gave Lilac just enough strength to look up at her and verbalize her woes, though she still had to talk through her own crying.

“I...I can’t live like this! I want to get better, b-but I don’t...”

Lilac trailed off as her crying overtook her again. A gentle shush from Carol quelled her slightly, just enough so she can hear what Carol has to say.

“We can deal with it in the morning! Right now, you need to sleep.” Carol tightened her grip on Lilac, making the troubled dragon look up at her smiling face. “It’ll be alright, you don’t need to worry right now. I’m here for you...”

Such simple words, yet they meant everything to Lilac. She rested her head back down on Carol’s shoulder and her sobbing slowly died down into shaky wheezing. Eventually, her breathing stabilized with one final sigh as she closed her eyes. Carol’s words and embrace shielded Lilac from her own troubled mind, shoving what she was going to say in a far corner to be addressed later in exchange for some much desired peace.

The awkwardness from before still haunted Lilac, as did yesterday’s argument. But now Lilac can tell those thoughts to shut up and let her indulge in Carol.

*****

Life would be much more manageable if one could just stay in bed forever, if morning never came. Sadly, Carol’s fantasy of eternal coziness is just that, a fantasy. Feeling a heat source press down on her, Carol groaned and slowly forced her eyes open, having to use her fingers to pry them open due to eye gunk. The first sight she met with put a smile on her face.

Lilac’s still snugged up with her and lying on her shoulder, sleeping with Carol’s arm draped over her. Carol leaned her head back on the pillow and gave a content sniff, luxuriating in Lilac’s warmth. There was a time Carol wasn’t into this kind of thing, in fact she still kind of isn’t. But Could see herself getting use to doing this Lilac!

Carol looked back down at her slumbering best friend and noticed Lilac’s hair covering her face. Mentally declaring it a crime to conceal such a pretty face, Carol gently brushed Lilac’s hair aside. At first, Carol could only see Lilac peacefully sleeping while gently breathing through her nose. A sight that warmed Carol’s heart and widened her smile. 

If only that was all Carol could see. She noticed a bit of red puffiness surrounding Lilac’s eyes, immediately making her drop her smile as her head fell back with a groan. Even after the argument, Lilac is still too weak to resist Carol’s help. The real Lilac would have stubbornly held her ground, instead she ran off and cried. Not that Carol could blame her, the wildcat went too far yesterday. 

Carol closed her eyes and palmed her face. Some best friend she is, telling Lilac the same self destructive things she’s already been telling herself. Who does that? Idiots, that’s who! 

A knot formed in Carol’s stomach as she thought back to that stupid argument. She looked back down at Lilac with a dejected frown, so many ways to apologize came to mind but Carol didn’t want to wake her up. Instead she tightened her hold on Lilac and let her cheek rest on top of the sleeping dragon’s head. Somehow, being this close to her took Carol’s mind off of her own woes. Lilac’s company and body heat beckoned Carol back to the blissful realm of sleep, making her eyelids feel heavy.

But a certain basset hound came to mind, making Carol’s heart leap up to her throat. Carol’s eyes flew open and her gaze snapped to Milla’s little bed in the corner. Thankfully, Milla herself seems to still be asleep, this drew a relived sigh from Carol. Still, can’t chance Milla waking up and asking awkward questions. It’s time to get out of bed.

A shame, Carol would have liked to stay with Lilac a little longer. 

After carefully leaving Lilac’s side and getting out of her bed, as well as deciding she’s not going back to sleep in her own bed, Carol dressed herself and made for downstairs. The first thing that came to mind was breakfast, but that takes work. Carol doesn’t like work. She likes video games, though. There are worse ways to start one’s day. Besides, it’ll take her mind off things.

Carol decided on one of her favorite horror games; Hushed Mountain. A psychological thriller taking place in a deserted city beset by bizarre looking monsters and unnaturally constant rain. The tension and atmosphere demanded Carol’s full attention so she can listen for enemies, perfect for distracting her from a decidedly less pleasant reality. 

As Carol played, sitting cross legged in front of the TV in the living room, her ears perked up in response to the shower suddenly running upstairs. Lilac must be awake, she’s the only one who showers immediately after getting out of bed. Maybe it’s some kind of instinct to keep moist since she’s a water dragon, or perhaps Carol is just making up random nonsense and it’s just a habit Lilac got into. Carol sighed and returned to playing her game.

Time ticked on. The shower running upstairs turned out to be more distracting than Carol thought it would be. If Lilac’s awake, then they’re about to have an awkward conversation. This time Lilac is going to be lucid, not tired or scared like last night, so how is she going to behave after their argument? Is she even still upset? It’s not like Carol can leave Lilac alone after hearing what she said last night, she needs to know why she cried.

Carol groaned and turned her game off, not even bothering to save. So much for getting her mind off things.

Before she could even realize the shower had turned off, Carol heard footsteps behind her. Turning around rewarded her with the sight of Lilac standing under the archway in her bright blue bathrobe. Carol raised an eyebrow at this, Lilac usually gets dressed pretty quick. She stopped wondering about this as soon as she laid eyes on Lilac’s face, Lilac intently stared off at something with her mouth slightly agape and her fists at her sides. 

Carol followed the dragon’s gaze to the phone and her face softened. That’s what Lilac was talking about last night, she must be trying to gather enough courage to call about the job. The wildcat’s heart gave an irregular beat when she looked back at Lilac only to find the latter staring back at her, frowning and fidgeting. Lilac looking at her like that, pleading with her eyes, made Carol’s stomach lurch. 

Regardless, Carol put on a friendly smile and gave a nod. That seemed to do the trick, Lilac briefly closed her eyes and took a deep breath before walking over to the phone. Carol rose to her feet and stood close behind Lilac as the latter picked up the phone. This up close, Carol noticed a couple details about Lilac she didn’t pick up before. Lilac’s skin pigmentation seems to have changed to a lighter shade of pink, Carol tried to convince herself it’s an age thing and not a health problem. She couldn’t happily explain away another issue, Lilac doesn’t seem to fill her bathrobe so well anymore. Carol glared and clenched her fist as the reason why came to mind.

Lilac’s alarmingly slimming frame held her attention for so long, Carol only now noticed Lilac had fallen quiet. The dragon just stood there holding the phone as she silently stared off into nothing. Before Carol could say or do anything, Lilac gave a sniff and dialed a number. Carol recognized it as General Gong’s personal number, which the Magister instructed them to call once they reached a decision. Lilac must’ve been agonizing over this in the shower and ran down as soon as she finished, hence the robe. 

As the phone rang, Lilac leaned on the cabinet and closed her eyes. Carol’s heartbeat accelerated but she managed to hide her discomfort. She doesn’t know why she’s so nervous though, it’s going to suck whether Lilac takes the job or not. Regardless, Carol needs to be here for Lilac whatever she decides. The wildcat took a step closer and gently laid her hand on Lilac’s back, earning a tired glance from the latter. 

Lilac’s mouth hung open slightly as she seemed to want to say something. Before she could, however, she suddenly straightened up and looked forward.

“Hi, General Gong? It’s Lilac,” she greeted. Carol tensed up yet remained composed. Lilac herself winced and continued. “Uh...sorry for waking you up! I’m calling about what we discussed yesterday.”

Carol felt Lilac trembling, prompting her to gently start rubbing her back. She wished she could hear the other end of the call. As Lilac listened to Gong speak, she leaned forward again and tapped her fingers on the cabinet. The persistent silence urged Carol to groan but she resisted, more worried about what’s going on in Lilac’s scrambled head right now.

Lilac suddenly took a quick breath and said, “Yeah, I understand. We’ve thought this over and...”

Trailing off, Lilac looked in Carol’s direction. Carol’s heart plummeted at the sight of Lilac’s desperate and tired eyes staring at her, she couldn’t even find the strength to give a reassuring smile. Instead, Carol used her free hand to gently grab and squeeze Lilac’s resting on the cabinet. Lilac looked down and her eyes narrowed, not exactly the reaction Carol was looking for. Before the cat could say anything, Lilac straightened up and faced forward before continuing.

“We’ll take the job!”

Carol looked down and closed her eyes. Again, there was no optimal answer to that question, but it’s typical Lilac would go with the more difficult one! Part of Carol wished Lilac’s current state would knock the Little Miss Heropants right out of her, but apparently that’s just too optimistic.

Lilac’s voice brought Carol out of her thoughts, saying, “Understood, General. We’ll be discreet. And just to confirm, our payment is still up for negotiation, right? Alright, thanks. We’ll update you as soon as...huh? Ah, gotcha. Anything else? Uh huh. Okay, we’ll keep an eye out for those. Thanks, later.”

Once Lilac hung up, Carol backed up and gave her some space. The wildcat braced for whatever could possibly happen next, ready for anything. Not that she knows what to expect after yesterday. Lilac suddenly turned around and caught Carol’s attention, presenting the cat with an unexpected sight.

She’s smiling...

One would think this would alleviate Carol’s concern, it didn’t. In fact it worsened. The wildcat held her breath and clenched her fists, wishing Lilac would do something already. But Lilac just stood there and stared with that adoring, almost unnatural smile. It lacked the usual warmth and gratitude, instead it came across as...desperate?

Then Carol noticed it, Lilac’s bottom lip quivering. In an instant, Lilac had her arms wrapped around Carol’s neck and she cried her eyes out. The sudden weight caught Carol off guard as she frantically held her weeping friend and gently brought both of them down to their knees. Once she found her balance, Carol closed her eyes and moved one hand up to the back of Lilac’s head as the latter let out a chorus of sobbing and sniffing. Now this, Carol can deal with.

“I don’t wanna do this! I..I don’t wanna...” Lilac managed to get out through her crying.

Though Carol wanted to say something, she kept quiet and allowed Lilac to let everything out. Eventually the crying died down, yet Lilac’s breathing remained shaky and she trembled in Carol’s arms. Carol opened her eyes and pulled away so she can see Lilac’s tired and tear stricken face. This pathetic sight sent a harsh jolt through Carol, yet she managed to hide her discomfort with a friendly smile.

Carol wiped Lilac’s tears away and gently grabbed her shoulders before softly saying, “It’s not like we’re going to fight robot armies or anything, it’ll be alright.”

“B-But...” Lilac stammered. She paused and took a quick breath before continuing. “I know we need to do this so I can get help, but I keep thinking of what happened last time and...”

“It’s not going to be like last time!” Carol suddenly blurted out, she couldn’t handle listening to Lilac despair anymore. The wildcat’s face softened and she resumed speaking, more mindful of her tone. “I’m not going to lie, I would have liked it if we didn’t take this job. But if this can help you, I’ll follow you no matter how dangerous it gets. I won’t let anything bad happen to you, Lilac!”

If you told Carol she’d end up getting personal today, she would have called you crazy. But Lilac needed to hear that. Unfortunately, Lilac didn’t react the way Carol hoped.

“That’s not what you said yesterday,” the dragon mentioned with a dejected frown and her head down.

Carol winced and scratched the back of her head before replying, “Well, I was just angry and...”

“But you were right.”

“No I wasn’t! I...” Carol grumbled and held her head as she squeezed her eyes shut. Don’t lose your temper again you dumb cat! Easier said than done, Carol’s inability to form a counter argument only frustrated her further, especially considering how much Lilac’s self esteem has plummeted because of her.

After opening her eyes again, Carol took note of Lilac listlessly staring at the ground and frowning. Seeing this helped in a twisted sort of way, the guilt helped Carol calm down. You see this, Carol? Don’t make it worse. With a sigh and a small smile, Carol gently took Lilac’s hands, prompting the dragon to look up and make eye contact.

“Look, I shouldn’t have said the things I did,” Carol explained quietly, feeling Lilac gently squeeze her hands. “And...I should have told you about Spade and the Red Scarves sooner. I thought since everything with Brevon was said and done, I could just...you know what? It doesn’t matter. I screwed up, plain and simple. But I’m still on your side and always will be! So how about it, Ms. Heropants? You and me against the world?”

The silence that followed filled Carol with dread, especially with Lilac staring at her, yet she maintained her weak smile. Eventually, Lilac gave a warm smile of her own and quietly said, “Like always!”

“Like always,” Carol repeated with a nod and a bigger smile.

Hearing that reaffirmation filled Carol with a pleasant pressure inside her, prompting the cat to gently pull Lilac into another hug, which the latter eagerly returned. Carol closed her eyes and luxuriated in Lilac’s embrace. The dragon’s hold on her lacked the tense desperation from before, instead it felt more relaxed and content. Carol didn’t even care about her usual aversion to sappiness, it’s worth it if she can share this peaceful moment with her best friend.

Eventually Lilac pulled away, forcing Carol to hide her disappointment, and glanced down slightly. Carol took note of her persisting smile and reddening cheeks. Her heart gave an irregular beat at this sight, Lilac needs to look like that more often!

“Who knows? This may not be so bad,” Lilac speculated as she looked up at Carol. “Maybe we won’t have to run into Spade at all!”

Music to Carol’s ears, finally some positivity from Lilac! Though unsure about that last part, seeing Lilac in higher spirits strengthened Carol’s smile.

“So what’s the plan?” Carol asked, attempting to keep this new confidence going.

Lilac rose to her feet and crossed her arms before answering, “I’ve got a few ideas, but I’d rather have Milla present first. How about you go get her and I’ll get breakfast started? I’ll make your favorite.”

“Sounds good!” Carol said as she stood up, enticed by the promise of food. “But when do you plan on putting some clothes on?”

Lilac briefly glanced down at her robed self before covering her face and giving a wry chuckle. 

“Oh wow, I look awful!” she complained, voice muffled behind her hands. “I haven’t even done my hair yet!”

“I honestly didn’t notice,” Carol commented with an unamused stare.

“Of course you didn’t.”

Lilac let her hands drop and her smile returned. For a few seconds, the pair just stared at each other, until Lilac broke the silence. “Well, thank you.”

She then turned and started making her way out. As Carol watched her leave, something she wished she could forget came to mind, making her frown and scratch the back of her head. 

“Uh...Lilac?” Carol called.

The dragon stopped and turned back around, still smiling. Carol winced and clenched her fists at this sight, not wanting to ruin Lilac’s good mood. Still, Carol needs to come clean.

“So, since I told you about going to the Red Scarves for help, there’s something else I should tell you,” Carol explained. Lilac’s smile faded and she put her hands on her hips, sending a harsh jolt through Carol and making her look away briefly. Carol took a deep breath, no turning back now. “Spade tried to meet with us back at the mall. He wanted you to come but I decided to go alone.”

Silence followed, Carol decided she hates silence. Lilac crossed her arms and donned a not so subtle glare, making Carol gulp, and asked in a chillingly low voice, “What did he say?”

“Well...he knew the Magister would try to hire us,” Carol answered, avoiding eye contact and frowning. “He just said he has it under control and we should ignore the Magister.”

A disdainful sniff escaped Lilac as her gaze dropped. Carol couldn’t tell if she should be ready to help Lilac or endure being yelled at. To her surprise, neither turned out to be necessary. Instead, Lilac made eye contact again, lost the glare, and let her arms drop to her sides before making a declaration.

“Spade doesn’t tell me what to do!”

Lilac then turned and finally left the room, leaving Carol staring ahead with wide open eyes, utterly dumbfounded. Eventually her eyes softened and a smile made its way on her face.

“That’s my girl!” Carol whispered to herself.

*****

The smell of bacon and eggs permeated the air as Lilac, Carol, and Milla all huddled around the small kitchen table. Lilac, now decently dressed, received an extra helping of bacon per Carol’s advice. When it came time to eat, however, Lilac didn’t start right away. She lethargically stared down at her plate as her thoughts drifted off to the job. This quickly changed when Carol lightly kicked her under the table and glared at her, prompting Lilac to return the favor by angrily sticking her tongue out before finally starting her meal.

As breakfast went on, Lilac and Carol caught Milla up to speed about accepting the Magister’s job, leading the pup to ask, “So where do we start? How do we find Prince Dail?”

“Yeah, didn’t you mention you have something?” Carol added as she turned to face Lilac.

Lilac couldn’t help but be taken aback by Milla’s enthusiasm, but she remained composed and answered Carol’s question with another question.

“That depends, you still have that list of fighting ring contacts?”

“Yeah, why?” Carol asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I’m thinking some of them still do business with the Red Scarves, maybe one of them can point us in the right direction!”

“So do we just call them up and ask ‘hey, have the Red Scarves kidnapped any royals recently?’” Carol asked with a deadpan stare.

Lilac held back her annoyance, only letting a brief glare slip through, and replied with, “No, we set up a meeting. We don’t need to mention the Prince, I doubt any of them know that Spade took him anyway. We just need to find out where the scarves are!”

“Like, where payments are going and junk?”

“Yeah. Since the Red Scarves moved, some of their partners may have had to update their info.”

Carol flashed a grin and asked, “So we pulling off a heist on these guys?”

“Uh, maybe,” Lilac answered as she scratched her head, “I’d rather it doesn’t come to that, though.”

“You’re no fun,” Carol commented with a sigh. “I don’t have any other ideas, but how do you plan on getting them to spill the beans?”

Lilac glanced aside, unsure about this part. “Well, we are former scarves, that has to count for something. Plus I doubt they’d care enough about internal Red Scarves affairs to hold out on us.”

“No honor among thieves, huh?” Carol mused with a grim chuckle. “That sounds about right!”

“So when do we start?” Milla piped up with an exuberant smile. 

Lilac frowned and her heart jolted. She knew this particular talk was coming, but Milla’s enthusiasm didn’t bode well for what Lilac had to say. Then Brevon’s dreadnought came to mind. Milla, that monster, the grief and rage...that can’t happen again.

“Actually, it’s just going to be Carol and I this time, Milla,” Lilac finally explained in a low voice. “You’re staying home.”

Milla’s smile dropped and her eyes widened, making Lilac’s heart plummet, before she said, “What!? But why?”

Lilac winced. She instinctively looked to Carol, but only got a frown and shrugging shoulders in return. Still, Lilac would have preferred to deal with an uncomfortable Carol than a disappointed Milla. The dragon sighed and turned her attention back to Milla before saying, “This might get too dangerous for you.”

“B-But I’ve been training lately! I’m way stronger than before!” Milla stuttered. Lilac noticed her raising her voice.

“Milla, I’m sorry. But I don’t want you getting hurt!”

“That’s what you said last time and look what happened!” Milla almost shouted as she stood from her seat. Lilac and Carol immediately straightened up as they went bug eyed, this is so not like Milla. Well, almost. Lilac picked up on Milla’s arms shaking at her sides. The hound’s glare proved difficult to ignore, however. “If I had gone with you into Brevon’s base, maybe you wouldn’t have been captured and...”

Milla trailed off, her glare faded, and her eyes darted between Lilac and Carol as she started fidgeting. Having all eyes on her must have drained the fight out of the pup. Regardless, her words left their mark on Lilac. The dragon glanced down with her eyes still wide open and her mouth agape. 

Looking back up treated Lilac to a different venue and elicited a sharp gasp from her. She’s no longer safe at home and having breakfast with her friends, she’s strapped to a machine encased in a glass tube, staring at a maliciously grinning Brevon. His dark gaze froze her on the spot, rendering the restraints unnecessary. She couldn’t even breathe in his presence.

That changed as soon as Brevon reached for a switch on the console behind him. Lilac hyperventilated and broke into a cold sweat, her muscles tensed in anticipation of unimaginable agony. The machine hummed to life behind her and she squeezed her eyes shut. If Lilac could speak, she would scream and beg for Carol and Milla to come and rescue her, to save her from the coming pain.

But she’s alone now. Nobody is coming.

“Milla, look, Lilac is just...”

The sudden interruption of Carol’s voice jolted Lilac with a sharp gasp and forced her eyes open. Lilac’s gaze darted around as she struggled to stop shivering. The kitchen, Carol and Milla talking to each other, it all looks right. But somehow, it feels more like a dream, Brevon’s torture chamber felt more real than this. In fact, Lilac can still feel the restraints cutting off circulation to her limbs, cold steel numbing her back.

No, she’s going back, she can’t go back! Not again! Lilac’s chest pained and her breathing grew chaotic. She needs to reach out, she can’t be left alone again.

“You can come!”

Lilac’s own words made her jump. At the same time however, she doesn’t feel like she’s with Brevon anymore. The tree house is real, Carol and Milla are real, and they’re both staring right at her. Frozen at first, Lilac became keenly aware of her own weakness, she started to sway and struggled to hold herself upright. Regardless, Lilac remained composed and put on a smile for Milla.

“You can come,” Lilac repeated with a nod.

Milla’s eyes lit up and she smiled gleefully before saying, “Really?”

“Yeah,” Lilac answered. Milla’s energetic mood warmed the troubled dragon’s heart, helping Lilac calm down and strengthening her smile. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you felt strongly about this. But you have to promise me you’ll be careful, okay?”

Milla closed her eyes and giggled before sitting back down. Lilac noticed the hound’s tail wagging with unmatched vigor.

“Of course! I won’t let you down, Lilac!” Milla proclaimed.

Lilac looked in Carol’s direction. The wildcat looked back with a frown and a raised eyebrow, making Lilac drop her smile and look down at her food. Now that Milla’s charm has worn off, Lilac’s stomach turned as she processed what just happened. Milla’s on the front lines again, out there putting herself in harm’s way for Lilac’s sake.

It’s not suppose to be like that, Lilac thought as her hands balled into fists in her lap, Brevon’s dreadnought proved it. But Lilac couldn’t help but feel safe knowing that both her friends will be there to protect her.


	6. Sortie

The wind on her face, the roar of the engine, the smell of exhaust, Carol’s motorcycle brought her a special kind of freedom not many appreciate nowadays. Well, usually. This time, as Carol rides through Dragon Valley, the adrenaline is noticeably absent. Instead, Carol’s stomach turned at the thought of what’s going to happen next. If she didn’t have to focus on the dirt path in front of her, Carol would have gone crazy from the anxiety. 

The pressure of having a passenger also helps her focus, Milla had her scrawny little arms wrapped around Carol’s waist as she sat behind her. Occasionally, they hit a bump in the road and Carol could hear Milla whimper and feel the dog’s forehead on her back. After a few minutes, Carol grimaced before finally addressing her passenger.

“Hey, doing good?”

“Y-yeah, I’m fine!” Milla shouted over the engine.

Yeah right.

Well, it’s not like there’s any reason to stop right now, even if the ride is bothering Milla. Carol still couldn’t fight the guilt though, so she said, “It’s just a little further, hang in there!”

No verbal response from Milla, but Carol felt the dog’s grip around her waist tighten. 

Before Carol could say anything else, a sudden flash of light shined from her left and forced her to briefly close her eyes. Upon opening them again, Carol met with the sight of Lilac sprinting ahead. With a grin, Carol accelerated in order to catch up with the speeding dragon. But just as it looked like Carol would pass, Lilac became enveloped in a flurry of sparkling lights and boosted forward like a rocket once more. 

Carol needs her bike in order to keep up with the amazing physical feats that dragons such as Lilac are capable of. A fact which use to frustrate her when she first met Lilac.

That image of all powerful dragons immediately vanished as soon as Carol noticed Lilac suddenly stumble and fall behind. Eyes widening, Carol hit the brakes on her bike and swerved left, earning a frightened gasp from Milla, and parked perpendicular to the dirt road. Looking back, Carol beheld an alarming sight; Lilac doubled over, leaning on her knees, and holding her chest.

Heart leaping up to her throat, Carol let out an involuntary gasp, leapt off her bike, and sprinted to her best friend’s side. Lilac squeezed her eyes shut and took labored, almost agonized breaths. Carol even noticed beads of sweat trailing down the dragon’s face. 

At least she isn’t freaking out or anything like that. Still, the sight of Lilac like this made Carol grimace and clench her fists. The sound of footsteps behind her prompted the wildcat to straighten up and pull an about face, rewarding her with the sight of Milla frowning as she stared at Lilac with her hands clasped together and her tail between her legs.

Carol’s face softened into a frown as her chest tightened. She didn’t want to worry Milla, but she couldn’t just leave Lilac alone. The sound of Lilac’s pained breathing shook Carol from her thoughts and overrode her anxiety, spurring her to turn back around and place a hand on Lilac’s shoulder. 

“Hey, you okay?” Carol asked. It’s out of her hands now, what happens next is up to Lilac, a fact which filled the wildcat with dread. 

“Yeah, just...” Lilac weakly answered as she looked up at Carol, only to wince and look down again. “A little...out of breath...”

Carol didn’t know what else to do that wouldn’t seem suspicious in front of Milla, so she just put her hands in her pockets and gave Lilac some space, she couldn’t help a frown though. Lilac doesn’t usually tire this easily. Carol wished she could ask more, but with Milla here...

Lilac sighed and stood up straight, catching Carol’s attention and said with a clearly forced smile, “I’m fine, so let’s...”

The dragon took one step and stumbled with a gasp, prompting Carol to rush forward and hold her upright. Mentally cursing, Carol forced her frown away in an attempt to lessen the discomfort Milla must be feeling right now. This proved difficult upon looking at Lilac, who resumed her heavy breathing. A sharp pressure froze Carol, this isn’t right, this isn’t Lilac, it’s...

“Lilac?”

Carol’s ears perked up in response to Milla’s timid call. No time to think, gotta say something! The wildcat put on a smile and faced Milla, nearly faltering at the sight of the pup’s worried frown, and said, “It’s alright, she’s just tired from the trip!”

Milla started fidgeting and approached Lilac. The latter still struggled to catch her breath, but she managed to stand up and put on a smile. For a moment, Carol just looked between the two, before clearing her throat.

“You know, we could just walk the rest of the way to Shuigang’s border,” Carol explained as the other two faced her. “It’s not that far. We can catch a bus into town once we cross.”

“Carol, I...” Lilac started as she reached for Carol, making the wildcat turned and give a soft glare. Carol’s heartbeat accelerated, the ball is in Lilac’s court. Please, Carol thought, just go with it before Milla gets even more worried. Eventually, Lilac frowned and scratched her head before finishing her sentence. “...think that’s a good idea.”

Carol let out a breath she didn’t even realize she was holding in until now. But clearly, Lilac didn’t share this relief. The dragon’s gaze dropped to the ground, but she quickly perked up and put on a smile upon glancing in Milla’s direction, who still looked worried.

“It’s okay, Milla. I’m just a little tired,” Lilac assured in a soft voice. 

That seemed like more than a little, Carol thought as she involuntarily clenched her fist. 

Milla didn’t return Lilac’s smile, but her frown vanished and her tail started wagging lazily. She replied with, “Well, we did travel quite a ways. I wish you didn’t have to run.”

“Yeah, that’s what I get for having this awesome boost ability!” Lilac replied with a giggle. A small smile formed on Milla’s face before she gave a giggle of her own.

Carol glanced off to the side and smiled, crisis averted. At the same time, though, Lilac’s fatigue gnawed at the wildcat. Yeah, Lilac hasn’t been taking good care of herself as of late. But this still seems a far cry from the endurance Lilac had before...

“We should get going,” Lilac suddenly proclaimed, yanking Carol from her thoughts.

Carol’s ears perked up before she replied with, “Hold on a sec.”

Carol strolled on over to her bike and flashed a grin before pressing a button on one of the handlebars. The bike came to life, folding in on itself and compressing into a much smaller shape, resulting in some kind of disc the size of a large dinner plate light enough for Carol to hold with one hand. Three large crescent blades adorned the disk, which Carol rotated as she admired her weapon. 

“That’s still really cool!” Lilac commented with a smile as Carol strapped the disc to her hip. Carol smiled back and gave a nod after rejoining her friends. 

The trio continued their journey on foot, with Carol keeping eyes on Lilac and Milla at all times. The latter stuck unusually close to the former and occasionally smiled, Lilac would either respond with a tired smile of her own or a gentle pat on the head, prompting Milla to wag her tail. Carol just stuck her hands in her pockets and attempted to appear neutral as she walked alongside. 

That proved more and more difficult as the walk dragged on, Lilac struggled to keep standing upright and frequently had to stop and catch her breath. Milla dutifully stood buy her side whenever this occurred, seemingly more confident now that she knows it’s just exhaustion. Thankfully, Milla neglected to ask why Lilac is getting so tired. 

This did little to abate Carol’s own worry, though. The cat remained alert to any movement coming from Lilac. Every stumble, every twitch, every abnormal breath could be a sign of Lilac losing control, and it kept Carol on constant edge. There would be no excuse to get Milla to leave, no hiding from her, so what to do? No good answers, no ideal outcomes, only anxiety and frustration, which Carol kept to herself.

After a few minutes of walking through a more densely forested portion of the valley, the trio came across an ornate wooden bridge over a wide stream, which flowed from a nearby waterfall. A soft “wow” from a spellbound Milla caught the attention of the other two. Carol couldn’t help a grin at how easily impressed Milla is, most things must seem so big and wonderful to someone like her. 

Lilac suddenly stepped forward, catching Carol’s attention, and leaned on the bridge railing before saying, “Sorry, I need to take five again...”

Carol’s smile faded and she tensed up before joining Lilac’s side on the bridge, Milla followed and flanked Lilac from the right.

“It’s okay, I’m getting tired too!” Milla assured with a soft smile. Lilac smiled back and ruffled the pup’s hair, earning a giggle from her. 

The tightness in Carol faded as she gave a quiet sigh, looks like things are still cool. Still, she wants to stay close to Lilac, so she leaned on the rail with her. 

The trio spent a long and quiet moment on the bridge, just staring at the water below and letting their thoughts wander. Carol glanced in Lilac’s direction and took note of the dragon’s content smile. Lilac always liked swimming or just hanging out near bodies of water, maybe the stream and waterfall are helping her relax. Carol gave a smile of her own at this sight, whatever helps. 

Carol leaned forward so she could get a good look at Milla, the hound leaned over the railing with wide open eyes as she stared at the fish darting around in the water. Perfect, she’s distracted! Noticing one of Lilac’s hands resting on the rail, Carol seized the opportunity and gently grabbed it. Lilac turned to face her and her smile widened, as did Carol’s. In truth, this was more for Carol’s own benefit than Lilac’s, it felt like so long since they were able to touch like this. 

Lilac squeezed Carol’s hand, prompting the wildcat to shake off her thoughts and give Lilac her full attention. The dragon’s eyes had opened more and it seems she can stand up straight again. This more vigorous sight filled Carol with warmth, but as if that wasn’t enough, Lilac silently mouthed the words “I love you.” Carol felt heat rush to her cheeks and she struggled to suppress a chuckle, only letting a toothy smile through. Why can’t Lilac be like this all the time? 

After a few seconds of gazing at each other, Carol felt it now appropriate to ask something. She retracted her hand and cleared her throat, catching Milla’s attention as well.

“So, you think this ‘Mort’ guy is gonna be any help?” Carol asked. 

Lilac’s smile faded before she answered with, “He did agree to a meeting over the phone. That’s a good sign, right?”

“I guess,” Carol said as she faced forward and stared at the waterfall. “His name sounds familiar...”

“When we were in the Red Scarves, Spade signed us up to fight in his arena,” Lilac explained. “But then we took our extended vacation.”

A chuckle escaped Carol. Maybe it’s just because Milla is present, but it’s nice to hear some levity from Lilac for once. This didn’t last long, another issue came to mind.

“What are the odds Mort actually knows anything?” Carol asked as her gaze dropped.

Silence followed, making Carol form a fist, before Lilac finally said, “He’s been doing business with Spade for a while now. If he doesn’t know where the Scarves are hiding, maybe he can point us at someone who does.” 

“Kind of a flimsy plan,” Carol commented, not convinced in Lilac’s confidence.

“Yeah,” Lilac admitted, Carol picked up on her voice lowering. “But he was the only one who agreed to meet us.” 

Carol felt a knot form in her stomach. Great, now Lilac’s good mood is ruined. The wildcat faced her now frowning friend, but Milla spoke up before she could say anything.

“But it’s going to be okay, right?” the hound said, grabbing everyone’s attention. Milla stood up straight with a smile and her arms behind her back. “Even if this turns out to be a dead end, we can still figure something else out!”

Carol looked between Lilac and Milla before the former gave a giggle and replied with, “You’re right, it’s not the end of the world if this doesn’t work.”

Though initially taken aback by what just happened, Carol couldn’t help another smile. Maybe it was a good idea to bring Milla along if she can keep Lilac’s spirits up. It’d be a nice change of pace if Carol didn’t have to do it all by herself...

Lilac looked back at Carol with a smile, catching the latter’s attention, and said, “We should get going.”

*****

The rest of the trek proved a little easier for Lilac, she attributed this to Carol’s physical encouragement and Milla’s verbal encouragement from earlier. She didn’t have to take any breaks since the bridge. Her lack of endurance still troubled her though, she use to not tire this easily. Having Milla around also felt a little embarrassing, which she hid from the others.

“We should see the border once we get past these trees!” Carol exclaimed up ahead.

Lilac turned to Milla, who kept up beside her, and gave a brief grin before running ahead, making sure to pace herself so Milla could keep up. She decelerated to a slow walk upon seeing Carol stop dead in her tracks. Lilac’s smile vanished as unease took root in the pit of her stomach, she only barely registered Milla calling Carol’s name. Carol didn’t respond, prompting Lilac to glance at Milla, who looked back with a frown. 

Not knowing what to say, Lilac faced forward with a frown of her own and approached Carol. The wildcat maintained her stare off into the distance, Lilac almost dreaded finding out what her face looks like right now. Finally, Lilac reached Carol’s side. But before she could question her friend, Lilac’s gaze fell upon the sight holding Carol’s attention, and she froze as her mouth hung slightly agape. Milla caught up but didn’t say a word, Lilac figured the hound was having the exact same reaction as her and Carol. 

Situated on a hill, the trio caught a clear view of the border into Shuigang, and they never expected its current state.

Lines of people encased in a fenced in area, guards patrolling up and down the crowd, it looked more like a prison camp than a border entry. But the most striking sight took residence in the sky above the lines; a massive warship flying Shuigang colors hovered overhead, its cannons aimed down at the crowds below, as if waiting for an excuse. The sight sent a deep chill through Lilac, she knew about Shuigang’s current hostility for outsiders, but she never expected something like this.

Preoccupied with the sights, Lilac gasped and ducked when the wind suddenly stung her eyes, squeaks from either side told her Carol and Milla had done the same. Soon the source of the wind announced itself, a pair of Shuigang military choppers soared overhead and began patrolling over the border entry. Lilac held her head and squeezed her eyes shut, her chest pained as her breathing grew irregular. 

This isn’t the first time she encountered Shuigang attack choppers, they were also at...at...

Explosions sounded off from every direction, Lilac shivered from the cold of the snowfields surrounding Brevon’s grounded dreadnought. So many robots, there’s no way she’s reaching Brevon alive. This was a mistake. 

“Lilac! Hey!”

Carol’s voice elicited a gasp from the dragon and she forced her eyes open. For a split second, Lilac couldn’t remember where she is or what she’s doing. Then she looked at Carol, who stared back with a worried frown, and it all came back in force. But despite being aware and mostly lucid, the sounds of helicopters off in the distance made Lilac’s chest seize, her legs shook and nearly buckled.

Swaying and wobbling, Lilac would have fallen over if Carol didn’t grab her by the shoulders. Carol said something, but Lilac couldn’t hear a thing over the helicopters, which sounded closer than Lilac figured they actually are. The snowfields crept back into the dragon’s view, then quickly vanished when Carol’s grip on her tightened almost painfully. Finally, Lilac could make out what she’s saying.

“Not now, not now!” Carol hissed through her teeth with a glare. “She’s right there!”

Lilac’s heart plummeted like a meteor and her pupils dilated before she quickly looked over her shoulder to face Milla. The hound covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut, seemingly unaware of what’s going on around her. That’s not going to last. 

Lilac faced Carol again and attempted to stand up straight on her own, to no avail. Milla’s proximity didn’t help, making Lilac go lightheaded at the thought of discovery. Choppers and explosions in the distance again. Going to die. Milla. Too much. 

Now shivering, Lilac finally made eye contact with Carol and managed to quietly plead, “Help me...”

Carol closed her eyes and grimaced for a few seconds, then gently set Lilac near a tree before rushing to Milla’s side. Lilac leaned against the tree and hugged herself as she looked away. The choppers sounded distant, making Lilac relax with a brief sigh. Then the sound soared overhead, prompting her to gasp and frantically snap her gaze skyward, heartbeat going from zero to ten. Strangely, the skies were clear. 

Hyperventilating, Lilac only barely heard footsteps heading her way. A quick glance in their direction yielded the sight of Milla walking towards her with her head tilted, making Lilac’s heart leap up to her throat. Lilac’s head grew numb at this sight, and she swore she would have fainted had Carol not grabbed Milla’s attention again. 

Lilac’s eyes remained glued on her two friends, Carol tried chatting up Milla in an attempt to keep the latter from seeing Lilac, asking if she’s okay and all that. Milla’s proximity forced Lilac to not move a muscle, all she can do is lean on the tree and keep hugging herself. The dragon’s breathing stabilized once she realized something; she can’t hear the helicopters anymore. 

Still hugging herself, Lilac slowly inched away from the tree with her eyes nervously scanning the sky. Eventually, she hesitantly let her arms drop to her sides and took a deep, shaky breath. Though still not convinced the choppers are gone, Lilac still found the strength to approach her friends. Carol bought her time by distracting Milla, but now Lilac needs her feline best friend. 

Lilac finally reached Carol and Milla, put on a weak smile, and said, “Hey!”

The two stopped talking to each other and faced Lilac. Before Lilac could say anything else, Milla stepped forward with a worried frown and asked, “Are you okay? You don’t look so good!”

Lilac’s stomach tightened.

“Y-Yeah, I’m still tired from the trip is all,” Lilac answered as it grew more difficult to hold her smile. 

She looked to Carol, who seemed to be trying to look casual, but her stiff shoulders and widened gaze told a different story. Carol’s gaze finally met her own, prompting a flinch from the former before she cleared her throat, grabbing Milla’s attention once more.

“Well, we can catch a bus into town once we cross the border,” Carol said with a smile, “We can all have a nice long break then!”

The words “thank you, Carol” frantically chanted in Lilac’s head.

Milla looked back and forth between her two friends with a seemingly neutral face. She then nodded and asked, “Are we gonna be able to get in?”

Lilac glanced at the fences and lines down the hill. She winced at this rather unnerving sight, but recovered her smile before looking at Milla and saying, “Of course! We still have those passports the Magister gave us, we’ll be fine.”

It all made sense, but a cold dread still filled Lilac as the trio made their way to the lines. The airship held her attention nearly the whole way there, glaring back with its cannons. Lilac would have froze if she didn’t feel Carol’s hand brush against her own. She then took a quick breath and pressed on before flashing a quick smile to Carol, who responded with a wink.

“Isn’t Dragon Valley a part of Shuigang, though?” Milla asked, grabbing their attention. “Why is the border here?”

“Maybe they think us simple country folk aren’t worth the effort,” Carol answered in a hammy accent, earning a giggle from Lilac.

A small booth just outside the fences marked the beginning of the line, manned by a lone canine Shuigang soldier and flanked by two more. Lilac glanced down at Milla, who stared at the booth for a few seconds before looking up at Lilac with a frown.

“Scared?” Lilac asked.

Milla flinched and replied with, “N-No!I just don’t know what to do is all.”

Milla’s stumbling and fidgeting betrayed her, making Lilac briefly bite her lip before smiling again.

“It’ll be alright,” Lilac said, “I’ll go first so you can see what to do, okay?”

“Okay,” Milla replied. 

The hound looked forward and gave an audible exhale, making a lump form in Lilac’s throat. Lilac doesn’t get to be scared right now, not with Milla so uncomfortable. She stood closer to her canine friend and gave her a gentle pat on the head. 

Lilac would have said something if she didn’t hear shouting up ahead, the sudden noise made her jump and snap her gaze down the line beyond the booth. After a second of frantic scanning, Lilac noticed a pair of Shuigang soldiers grabbing a male cat by the arms. The cat struggled fruitlessly as the guards hauled him away from the line.

“He said I could pass!” the cat cried, Lilac could make out tears streaming down his face. “Please don’t do this, my wife needs me in Shuigang!”

Lilac’s mouth went agape as her eyes followed the unfortunate feline, her face grew hot and the muscles in her limbs tightened. Eventually, the trio disappeared into a small building. This isn’t fair, what did that guy do to deserve that? Lilac felt the urge to charge forward and tell off the guards, and would have if Milla didn’t grab her hand. Looking down rewarded Lilac with Milla staring back with wide open eyes, prompting an irregular beat in the dragon’s already agitated heart.

“Why are they...” Milla trailed off. 

Lilac gently grabbed Milla’s shoulders and said, “It’ll be okay, they’re not going to do that to us!”

“B-But...”

“Listen, we just have to do what they say until we get to the end of the line, alright? Don’t be scared!”

“I’m not!”

Yeah, right. Despite Milla’s words, Lilac picked up on the hound’s arms trembling. Even so, Lilac couldn’t ignore Milla’s willingness to keep going even though she’s clearly afraid. So instead of pressing the issue, Lilac smiled and gently held Milla’s cheek, making the hound’s gaze soften and seemingly lessening her trembling.

Content with the situation, Lilac briefly rustled Milla’s hair and turned her attention back to the booth. Footsteps off to her right indicated Carol stepping closer, prompting Lilac to turn and meet her gaze. Carol stared back with a raised eyebrow and her hands on her hips. Knowing what Carol wants, Lilac responded by frowning and lowering her gaze. She then looked forward again and allowed Carol to step closer.

“What are the odds that guy actually did anything wrong?” Carol whispered into Lilac’s hearing aid. 

“Less than Neera warming up to us,” Lilac replied with a sigh. “Don’t say anything to Milla, she’s already nervous.”

“Sure you ain’t talking about yourself?”

Lilac froze and her chest seized. Just once, she would like to get something past Carol. She then felt warmth envelop her hand, it didn’t take long for her to realize Carol is holding her hand. Feeling the wildcat’s thumb gently stroke the back of her hand, Lilac gave a quiet sniff as the tension slowly faded. This feeling reminded her of the agreement she made with Carol, it’s okay to trust her. 

It’s always been okay to trust Carol.

“Next!”

The booth guard’s call made Lilac jump and snap her gaze forward, drawing her attention to the empty space between her and the booth. It’s her turn.

“Girls, passports!” she instructed as she stepped forward. 

While fumbling to get her passport out of her pocket, Lilac tried not to think about that man who got hauled away. There seems to be more people getting in than not, but that didn’t make her feel better. What if there’s something wrong with their passports? What if they decide to arrest Carol and leave Lilac all alone with Milla? This is a mistake, they should just head home.

“Documents, please.”

Lilac jumped again and snapped her attention forward, meeting eyes with the red panda guard in the booth. Now aware, Lilac noticed her breathing getting out of control and quickly composed herself, though her heartbeat remained erratic. 

The guard seemed just as eager about this encounter as her, he leaned forward on his desk and stared at her with half open, slightly bloodshot eyes that screamed “give me coffee or I’ll die just to spite you.” Weirdly, the guard’s apparent misery calmed Lilac down a little, better than actively hostile. Being separated by glass also helped.

“Documents, please,” the guard repeated with an almost unnoticeable glare.

Lilac cleared her throat and responded with, “Uh, right. Sorry.”

She hesitantly slipped her passport under the booth window. The guard quickly retrieved it and began his inspection with a tired sigh. Lilac fidgeted the whole time, not taking her eyes off the guard. There’s not a whole lot to look at on that passport, why is this taking so long? Just standing here makes Lilac feel as if an axe is about to drop. 

After what felt like years, the guard raised an eyebrow, making Lilac’s heart race even more, before looking up and saying, “Your skin looks lighter than in the photo.”

Uh oh.

“I-It’s an old photo,” Lilac stammered with a forced smile, suppressing the urge to run.

The guard’s gaze repeatedly switched between Lilac’s face and the photo, eventually he gave a quiet “hm” before resuming his inspection. Lilac quietly sighed and basked in the warm glow of relief. Thankfully he’s just the right amount of lazy.

“Huh, says here you’re only half dragon,” the red panda guard suddenly said. “But your father’s species isn’t listed?”

Oh come on!

Reeling from her relief being annihilated, Lilac struggled to maintain her composure and said, “My egg was stolen before I could hatch. I never knew my parents, so I have no idea what else I’m half of!”

The guard’s glare narrowed, making Lilac fidget again and drop her smile. Her legs started to shake and she gulped. This isn’t something worth turning her away over, right? If he’s lazy enough to excuse the photo, then surely he can let this slide too! Try as she might, Lilac couldn’t calm herself down. A million excuses poured from her mind but none of them filled her with confidence. 

A sudden ripping noise yanked Lilac back to reality. Under the booth window sat her passport and a small slip of paper.

“Show this ticket to one of the guards at the end of the line,” the guard droned as he sat back in his seat. 

Lilac’s face lit up with a smile as she took her papers back and said, “Oh, thank you so-...”

“Next!”

Her smile quickly vanished before she awkwardly moved on beyond the booth. 

Once a fair distance away, Lilac quickly turned back around in time to see Milla approach the booth. The pup timidly handed over her documents and held her arm with a nervous frown. After a few seconds, Milla turned and met eyes with Lilac. The dragon felt a lump in her throat, unable to take her eyes off Milla. The urge to run to Milla’s side filled Lilac and made her head pound. 

Milla abruptly faced the man in the booth again with widened eyes. Her mouth hung open as she appeared to be trying to say something, only to close as Milla suddenly flinched. Lilac didn’t need to hear the guard to know he’s grilling Milla about something, which made her blood boil as she scowled and clenched her fists. The longer it went on, the more Lilac wanted to rush over there and dragon boost through the booth.

Actually, that doesn’t sound like a bad idea...

Movement in front of Lilac brought her attention to Milla. The pup retrieved her papers and gave a quick nod before turning and running towards Lilac. A previously unnoticed pressure suddenly dissipated in Lilac’s forehead, dazing her and making her hold her head with a groan. Lightheaded and tired, Lilac felt as if she just ran a marathon across the planet. The sight of Milla approaching prompted some mental cursing on Lilac’s part, she quickly stood up straight and put on a smile for her small friend.

“I did it, Lilac!” Milla exclaimed with a smile and a wagging tail.

Lilac patted Milla on the head and said, “See, what’d I tell you?”

Milla made her way to Lilac’s side, allowing the dragon to gently grab her by the shoulder and pull her close. Now that Milla is here, safe and sound, Lilac felt she could finally relax. She didn’t even want to think about how she almost lost it, just enjoy the relief. 

There’s someone who still isn’t having a good time, Lilac noticed. Carol stood slouched with a blank stare and her hands in her pockets as the booth guard inspected her passport. As time went on, Carol seemed to grow more impatient, tapping her foot and occasionally tilting her head back to give an audible groan. 

Though nothing too dramatic happened, Lilac’s imagination ran amok. Carol could be turned away and Lilac would be left alone with Milla, a possibility that made Lilac sweat and nervously rub her arm. Without Carol, Lilac could have a breakdown in front of Milla, or make more stupid decisions and get both of them killed. Lilac just can’t function without Carol...

Luckily, those fears seem unfounded. Carol snatched her papers and trotted in Lilac’s direction, giving the booth a certain obscene hand gesture as she moved. The resulting relief put a small smile on Lilac’s face, she didn’t even care about Carol doing that in front of Milla. 

“Real class act, that one,” Carol huffed as she approached and crossed her arms. 

“I don’t think he likes his job,” Milla commented.

“Eh, still a jerk.”

Lilac rolled her eyes, then froze upon seeing Carol staring back at her. 

“You good?” Carol asked nonchalantly.

Lilac’s mouth hung open at first, but she quickly collected herself, put on a smile, and replied with, “Yeah, I’m just still a little tired.” 

“Hm.”

Carol’s neutral frown remained, which didn’t fill Lilac with confidence. That cat knows Lilac isn’t having the best time right now. Well, nobody is. But Lilac especially.

Not wanting the awkwardness to drag on, Lilac immediately shepherded the group further into the checkpoint, using the crowd as a guide since she didn’t exactly know where to go. As they traveled, Lilac felt the sting of contemptuous glares from the guards. The worrisome part is she and her friends aren’t the only ones receiving this treatment. No matter who they looked at, the guards seemed to be looking for an excuse to harass someone. Lilac even caught glimpses of people being shoved without provocation, and overheard whispers of slurs for migrants and such.

As if it couldn’t feel worse, Lilac and company soon found themselves enveloped in an oppressive shadow. At first, Lilac figured they were in for some heavy clouds. But a glance skyward reminded her of an alarming feature of this checkpoint. This shadow belonged to the aerial warship seen earlier, still hovering overhead with its cannons staring down at the unarmed crowds. To complete the experience, the guards further in the checkpoint toted more intimidating small arms, fingers already on the trigger. 

Feeling her heart race, Lilac instinctively glanced at Carol, which did nothing for her growing anxiety. Carol avoided eye contact with the guards and kept her head low, a far cry from the frustrated defiance at the booth. Lilac suppressed a whimper, not something you want to see from someone who’s needed for this scenario. If Carol of all people can’t handle this, then what’s going to happen if Lilac freaks out? For the first time since she confided in Carol, Lilac felt isolated. 

Before she could dwell on it further, Lilac felt someone tug on her arm, making her jump slightly and look in her guest’s direction. Milla looked back at her as she nervously fidgeted. Chest seizing at this sight, Lilac almost forgot about Carol. Almost.

“Are you sure we’re going to make it through?” Milla asked timidly. 

Lilac hesitated to speak, letting her mouth hang open, before forcing a smile and replying with, “Of course! We just have to get past the lines and show our tickets.”

Milla broke eye contact and glanced around, then suddenly dropped her gaze with a quiet yelp. Lilac bit her lip at this sight, internally growling at herself for not being able to help. Yet she managed to quickly recompose herself for Milla’s sake.

Lilac took a step closer to Milla, who glanced back up at her, and softly said, “Just stay close to me, alright? We’re going to be okay.” 

Milla stared back in silence for a couple seconds, before finally giving a hesitant nod an scooting closer. Lilac gently grabbed Milla by the shoulder and allowed a brief exhale. She couldn’t explain why, but the anxiety from before seemed to lessen. Maybe it’s from keeping herself busy by taking care of Milla, or perhaps she finally grew numb to the oppressive environment she currently finds herself in. Okay, that last one is wishful thinking if Lilac’s ever seen it, but she quietly hoped the feeling would stay for just a little while longer.

“It’s going to be okay,” Lilac whispered, both to Milla and herself.

“Hey, I found the lines!” Carol shouted from up ahead. 

Lilac guided Milla in Carol’s direction with more haste than what’s probably necessary. The sound of Carol’s confident voice triggered an automated response in Lilac, she has to be with Carol. Once they caught up, and Carol flashed a warm smile in Lilac’s direction, Lilac felt a pressure suddenly vanish from inside her. 

She’s with Carol, so all is right with the world now.

Lilac hoped the lines would be less intense. Sadly, the opposite proved true. Heavily armed guards herded countless entrants into lines like cattle, barking orders all the while. Chain link fencing crowned with barbed wire separated each line. Another pair of military helicopters circled above the scene like hawks about to dive bomb their prey. 

All of this sent a chill through Lilac. This is just suppose to be a border checkpoint, and yet Shuigang brought enough firepower to hold off an invasion. Why? What do they think a bunch of unarmed entrants are going to do? This much overkill would seem comical if Lilac didn’t find herself right in the middle of it all.

“Come on, let’s get in line!” Carol called above the chaotic noise of the crowd.

Lilac shook her head and glanced at Carol, who stared back with a frown. Maybe the cat noticed something off about her, Lilac couldn’t tell. But instead of worrying about it, Lilac gently grabbed Milla by the shoulder and guided her to one of the lines with Carol in tow. Whatever Carol wants to say is gonna have to wait until they get past this checkpoint. 

The trio inspected the lines, not entirely sure what to do next. Their tickets didn’t have an assigned line or anything. Other entrants seemed confused as well, until they awkwardly migrated to a line or were shoved into one by an agitated guard. Lilac decided to follow the lead of the former and led her friends to the nearest line, designated “Line Two” by a nearby sign. 

“You there, Line Three!”

Lilac froze and went bug eyed from the guard’s booming voice, but quickly composed herself and turned to face him. The armed panda guard’s glare kept her grounded in place, she almost didn’t notice the other guard standing behind him. Holding her breath, Lilac figured these two are looking for any excuse to make life difficult for her and her friends. 

Rather than start a scene, Lilac exhaled and said, “Right. We’re sorry.”

Another glance in Carol’s direction revealed a scowl on the cat’s face, prompting Lilac to gently elbow her in an effort to get her to behave. Milla, on the other hand, nervously stared back at the guards as she fidgeted. Lilac tapped her on the shoulder, prompting Milla to meet eyes with her and quickly put on a smile. Though Lilac knew better than to think Milla isn’t scared, she decided now is not a good time to press the issue, so she just smiled back. 

But before the trio could take more than a step forward, the guard suddenly held his hand up to stop them.

“Not you two, just the mutt,” he ordered.

...What?

Lilac stopped breathing. The world around her still went on, but her senses couldn’t process it, not even her hearing aids helped. Though her vision blurred, Lilac could still make out Milla, as if only the foreground is visible in an out of focus photo. 

Milla continuously looked back and forth between Lilac and the guards, eyes widened and mouth agape. This sight changed something in Lilac, restoring her senses and bringing her attention to the guards. No time to freak, Milla needs her.

“W-wait, she’s with us!” Lilac stammered. 

The guard’s glare narrowed before he replied with, “Doesn’t matter, she goes in Line Three.”

Not knowing what to do now, Lilac just stood there, barely noticing Milla inch behind her. Carol abruptly stepped towards the guard with a glare, but the guard rolled his eyes and shoved her aside before she could say anything. Lilac instinctively lurched forward and called Carol’s name, then gasped and turned back around just in time to see the guard pulling Milla by the arm.

“Stop! Let me go!” Milla shouted, grimacing and planting her feet as she pulled away. 

Gritting her teeth, Lilac broke out into a sprint with Milla locked in her sight. Before she could grab her friend, a gloved hand grabbed Lilac by the shoulder and stopped her dead in her tracks, before effortlessly shoving her to the ground. Stunned from the sudden fall, Lilac grunted as she struggled to prop herself up. Her vision cleared, and the sight of Milla being dragged away sent jolt through the winded dragon. Milla’s cries drowned out any other noise.

Lilac hastily rose to her feet, then hissed from a sudden headache and fell to her knee. Weak, hyperventilating, and tearing up, Lilac could only watch helplessly as the guard dragged Milla away. Lilac’s mind screamed to move and help Milla, but her body refused to listen.

“Lilac!” Milla cried from a distance.

Realizing Milla had been dragged out of sight, Lilac fruitlessly screamed her name as tears finally started flowing.

Someone suddenly grabbed Lilac by the arm, getting her attention. Carol looked back at her worriedly as she tugged at her arm.

“Come on!” Carol urged with a noticeable crack in her voice, “We have to move!”

But Lilac didn’t want to. Instead she looked ahead and frantically scanned the crowd for any sign of Milla, to no success. The other guard, who Lilac just now realized is still present, walked into view.

“Get in line, you half-breed freak!” he shouted with a glare and his hand on his holstered sidearm.

Before Lilac could say or do anything, Carol forcefully pulled Lilac to her feet and whispered, “Don’t give them an excuse. Let’s go, now!”

Carol gently pulled on Lilac’s arm and guided her back to Line Two. On the way, Lilac still produced tears, yet she maintained a furious glare with the guard. She wanted to cry, yet her blood boiled at the same time. A mixture of rage and anxiety wracked her insides and worsened her headache, simultaneously urging her to act and rendering her unable to break free from Carol’s grasp.

The pair eventually made it in line as other entrants trickled in behind them. Carol positioned herself in front of Lilac and firmly grabbed her by the shoulders. Still hyperventilating, Lilac didn’t make eye contact at first. This changed when Carol tightened her grip on her shoulders.

“Lilac, you need to calm down,” Carol said as she wiped away Lilac’s tears, the crack in her voice still present. 

“B-But...Milla...” Lilac stammered.

Carol closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then she opened her eyes and said, “Listen! Milla’s going to be fine, alright? She’ll behave herself and make it to the end of the line. But we need to behave ourselves too, otherwise they’ll haul us off and Milla will be all alone. Is that what you want?”

Lilac looked Carol in the eyes for a few silent seconds. Milla still occupied her frantic thoughts, but Carol’s now calm voice inspired a little bit of confidence. Lilac eventually closed her eyes and shook her head once her breathing calmed down.

“Okay, good,” Carol said with a relieved sigh and a smile. She gently took Lilac’s hand and guided her further down the line, which had moved forward a little. “I’ll be with you the whole way. It’s going to be alright.”

Lilac didn’t respond, not that she could if she wanted to. 

The monotony of waiting in line left Lilac alone with her thoughts, she barely felt Carol holding her hand. The line moved at a snail’s pace, sometimes Carol would have to get Lilac’s attention whenever they had to move forward. Lilac kept her head down nearly the whole time. 

A sudden scream up ahead yanked Lilac’s attention forward. A pair of guards walked down the line towards her, dragging a shrieking and kicking female fox between them. Lilac’s eyes widened and she couldn’t look away as her mouth hung open. Carol’s grip on her hand tightened.

“Keep your head down!” Carol hissed in Lilac’s ear.

Lilac did as commanded, but her bug eyes remained. Every step the guards took closer prompted Lilac to hold Carol’s hand tighter. The woman’s panicked screams grew closer and louder, assaulting Lilac’s senses and making her wince. The guards’ progress slowed from their victim’s struggling, ensuring it would take a little bit before they actually pass Lilac and Carol. Eventually, the woman’s screaming morphed into tearful begging. She pleaded to remain with her son, who Lilac guessed is now unaccompanied, to no avail. 

This is somehow worse than the screaming.

Now squeezing her eyes shut and clenching her fists, Lilac tried tuning out the begging fox girl. No good, she’s still being dragged closer at a snail’s pace. The begging not only hurt Lilac’s ears, it also reminded her of Milla. Alone in another line, surrounded by armed guards looking for an excuse to drag someone to who knows where, what would Milla do if she couldn’t reunite with the group?

The fox girl’s begging drowned out any other noise now, Lilac guessed she couldn’t even hear Carol. The noise, the crying, the injustice, thoughts of Milla. It’s too much, it needs to stop.

Gritting her teeth, Lilac forcefully ripped her hearing aids off her head.

Only silence remained. Lilac still heard the occasional muffle, but otherwise silence. This, combined with her closed eyes, invoked total sensory deprivation. With the chaos of the outside world gone, Lilac finally noticed she hadn’t been breathing, so she took a few deep breaths before finally settling down.

A hand suddenly yet gently grabbed Lilac by the shoulder, making her jump a little, but she quickly recognized the gentle and warm grip.

“I’m fine, Carol,” Lilac said, unsure of her volume. 

Lilac felt Carol’s grip loosen and slide down her arm. Carol then gently grabbed Lilac’s hand and rubbed the back of it with her thumb. Good, Carol understands. Lilac sighed and gave a weak smile, before wrapping her arms around Carol’s arm.

Still refusing to open her eyes or put her hearing aids back on, Lilac felt nothing but Carol’s warmth. Carol occasionally pulled her forward whenever the line moved. Content, Lilac wished she and Carol could stay like this forever. All that’s missing is...

...Milla.

Lilac dropped her smile. That’s right, Milla’s still all alone in the other line. The guards are looking for any excuse to arrest entrants, and Milla doesn’t have Lilac’s or Carol’s protection. Deja vu suddenly hit Lilac like truck. The last time Milla got separated from the group was...

Brevon’s...Dreadnought...

“You’re forgetting something important about our troops,” Brevon’s voice boomed in Lilac’s head, making her gasp. “They don’t...need...oxygen!”

Lilac finally opened her eyes and inhaled, or tried to. Her lungs never filled, leading her to try again, and again, and again, to no avail. Still hanging on to Carol, Lilac went light headed and fell to her knees, her strength abandoning her. Shaking now accompanied her wheezing as her lungs felt ready to implode, both from lack of air and building panic. 

Carol attempted to pull Lilac back on her feet with little success. Any time Lilac managed to stand, her legs would just give out again. All she could do was hang on to Carol. 

There’s no air, Lilac thought to herself as she went lightheaded. She’s going to asphyxiate, she’s going to die on this dreadnought. What happened to the water shield Milla gave her? It must have taken too many hits from Brevon’s soldiers. She needs to find a new water shield.

She needs to find Milla.

Lilac released Carol and fell on all fours, before immediately crawling towards the fence to her left. She then felt Carol grab her and pull her to her feet. Though a little dazed, Lilac summoned what little strength she lad left and threw herself forward, escaping from Carol’s grasp and collapsing against the fence.

“M-Milla, help!” Lilac feebly called as she hung onto the fence, “I can’t...I can’t breathe...”

Lilac scanned the crowd on the other side for any trace of her canine friend, but could barely see anything as her vision grew out of focus. She kept calling, her voice losing volume with each attempt, and still no response. Not even the other entrants payed her any heed. No matter where she looked, or how much she called, no sign of Milla.

“Please...”

Lilac suddenly lurched away from the fence as she felt a forceful hand on her shoulder. The hand forced her to turn around and face its owner, a glaring Shuigang panda soldier. Adrenaline suddenly surging, Lilac swiped the soldier’s hand away and backed up as she went bug eyed.

“Don’t touch me!” she shouted, glaring back and gritting her teeth.

The soldier pointed and shouted something at her. Lilac couldn’t hear him, due to not having her hearing aids on, not that she cared what he had to say. Milla still occupying her thoughts, Lilac stared the guard down. He’s keeping her from finding Milla, he’s and obstacle, he needs to get out of her way.

Seething and out of patience, Lilac reached for one of her hair whips...

Before she could do anything else, Lilac’s vision abruptly filled with green. She focused and could now make out the back of Carol’s head. Carol must have moved between her and the guard. Lilac’s glare faded as she looked back and forth between them, suddenly having trouble remembering what happened the past few seconds.

Despite the confusion, Carol’s presence helped Lilac calm down. But without the adrenaline, Lilac became vulnerable to a sharp pressure in her chest as her legs gave out. She fell to her knees and supported herself with one arm, desperately gasping for air as she held her chest. It all came back; suffocating, Milla, the soldier. This all happened because she lost it again.

Feeling a gentle touch on her back, Lilac glanced up at the sight of Carol kneeling next to her, looking back with a worried frown. Lilac wanted to say something, but her heavy breathing kept her from doing so. Not that Carol payed attention for long, her gaze snapped back to the soldier. He said something to her as his hand hovered over his holstered sidearm. Lilac went bug eyed at this, but lacked the strength to move. Carol held her hand up towards the guard and said something back at him. For a few seconds, they just spoke to each other, the guard occasionally tensed and pointed while Carol just stayed put and remained calm. Lilac, her breathing finally stable, unsuccessfully tried reading their lips.

Eventually, the soldier turned and stormed off, prompting a relieved sigh from Lilac. She met eyes with Carol, who gave a soft smile and gently tugged on her arm. Lilac smiled back and slowly got back on her feet, with a little help from Carol. Carol then produced Lilac’s hearing aids, prompting Lilac to frown before hesitantly putting them back on.

A little too use to the silence, Lilac winced when the noise assaulted her ears. Carol gently grabbed Lilac by the shoulders and stared into her eyes, getting her attention.

“You good now?” Carol asked, helping Lilac focus despite all the noise.

Carol’s familiar voice warmed Lilac, getting a smile from her as she nodded. Carol smiled back and moved beside Lilac, before wrapping her arm around her shoulder and guiding her further down the line.

“Just hang in there a little bit longer,” Carol whispered. “We’ll find Milla soon, alright? It’s going to be okay.”

Lilac let herself relax in Carol’s embrace. A smile found its way on her face as she let Carol prop her up. For awhile, she managed to avoid thinking about what just happened, but only temporarily. She thought if she completely cut off her senses, then nothing could set her off. But all it did was leave her alone to fret over the situation, and it brought back more awful memories.

Lilac’s smile faded, she’s not safe no matter what she does or where she goes. Her problems will always find a way to intrude in her life. She’s a prisoner of her own broken mind. Her thoughts inched towards more self loathing, prompting Lilac to sink further into Carol’s one armed hug. Carol’s company and earlier assurance helped keep these thoughts at bay.

At least she has Carol, Lilac thought to herself.

*****

At least Lilac calmed down, Carol thought to herself.

Carol held Lilac close as they slowly moved with the line. After that last outburst, Carol grew more restless, eager to get Lilac out of this crazy place. She could’ve sworn the line didn’t move this slow before the incident. One can only imagine what this is doing to Lilac, more time spent in this line is more time for her to stew over what just happened.

Getting worried, Carol glanced at Lilac. The dragon leaned on her shoulder with a frown and half open eyes. On one hand, Carol hated seeing Lilac like this and hoped she would grow numb to it already. On the other hand, Lilac seemed too worn out to do anything else stupid. Deciding to focus on the latter, Carol gave a revealed sigh and looked forward. Small blessings.

Despite this comfort, Carol couldn’t take her mind off of one detail from the incident; Lilac coming close to throwing down with that soldier. The look on Lilac’s face, the glare, the teeth, Carol could think of only one other time she’d seen it. Perhaps a lot more intense than with the guard, but still.

Brevon.

The crying and screaming were bad enough. At least then, Carol could get Lilac under control. But if this thing can make Lilac prone to the unholy retribution she unleashed on Brevon, would Carol be able to contain her? 

Carol tightened her grip on Lilac and pushed such thoughts away, she’ll just have to hope it won’t come to that. Actually, no, it won’t come to that. She won’t let it. Besides, what happened back there couldn’t really compare to Brevon, right?

“Tickets, now,” a guard ordered, pulling Carol from her thoughts.

A pair of guards replaced the line in front of her and Lilac, both glaring. The girls showed their tickets and the soldiers stood aside. Once they made it past, they found themselves in a clearing devoid of any fencing. Entrants flooded the area after finally having their tickets checked.

Well, the ones who made it, anyway.

Lilac suddenly lurched forward, and would have escaped if Carol didn’t keep a firm grip on her. 

“Hey!” Carol called with a furrowed brow.

Lilac turned towards her with a frown, noticeably less tired looking, and begged, “Please, I need to find her...”

Carol’s glare vanished and she bit her lip. Waiting in that line, while worrying about Milla, must have been pure hell for Lilac. What if Lilac had been separated instead of Milla? How would Carol have handled it? For some reason, Carol found this scenario uncomfortable, and stopped thinking about it. 

“Okay,” Carol said under a sigh, before putting on a less tense glare. “But stay close.”

Lilac nodded after a few seconds of silence, prompting Carol to hesitantly release her. The pair ventured further into the crowd, either shoving or being shoved. Lilac called Milla’s name, but Carol could barely hear her over everyone else. Eventually, the crowd thinned, and Carol got a more clear display of Lilac’s desperation. 

The dragon randomly darted in all direction as she kept calling for Milla, her voice growing louder. Carol joined the search, but kept her eyes on Lilac. Soon, Lilac stopped calling and just looked around, hyperventilating with her hands clenched and trembling at her sides. 

Carol cursed under her breath and rushed to Lilac’s side. Lilac looked back at her with bug eyes and mouth slightly agape. This sight prompted Carol to gently grab her by the shoulders and say something, but her mouth just hung open. No words came to mind, what in the world could she say? Sorry that Milla got arrested but everything’s gonna be hunky-dory?

“Lilac? Carol?” 

Carol’s ears perked up as she looked over her shoulder, looking for whoever just called their names. After a quick search, a certain young basset hound made her way into view, looking around with her hands nervously clasped together.

“Milla!” Lilac shouted, running past Carol.

Carol didn’t even care that Lilac nearly knocked her over, she just stood there and watched as Lilac dropped to her knees and pulled Milla into a tight hug, which Milla returned with equal vigor. Carol noticed Milla squeezing her eyes shut and wagging her tail. 

After giving a quick sigh of relief, Carol approached the embracing pair for a closer look at Lilac. The dragon had her eyes closed, but otherwise seemed fine. 

Lilac pulled away from Milla, looked her in the eyes, and asked, “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

“No, I’m fine!” Milla answered, Carol swore she heard a crack in her voice. “It was scary, though...”

“It’s okay, we made it. It’s okay...” Lilac said as she pulled Milla into a more gentle hug.

For a little bit, Carol just stood there with a smile and her hands in her pockets, relieved that Lilac finally calmed down. She couldn’t even bother to imagine the worst case scenario. After all that nonsense, Carol just wanted to let Lilac have this relief.

It didn’t last long; Carol’s ears perked up in response to something unpleasant.

“Mommy? Where are you!?”

Carol turned in the voice’s direction, and felt a lump form in her throat. Just outside the lines, a little fox boy wandered aimlessly with a tear stricken face. He had to be half Milla’s age, at most. 

“Where’s my mommy!?” the boy cried, now sobbing.

Wide eyed, Carol finally put two and two together. This kid is probably the son of that fox woman who got dragged off. Carol just stood there for a few seconds, stunned, then composed herself before joining Lilac and Milla.

“Hey, we should probably get moving,” Carol said with as little urgency as she could.

The pair looked up at her briefly before rising to their feet, with Lilac helping Milla up.

“You’re right, we should hurry and catch a bus,” Lilac mentioned with a weak smile.

“Yeah, I don’t like this place,” Milla added somewhat dejectedly. 

Lilac gave Milla a quick hair ruffle, earning a giggle from her, before the trio set off through the crowd. As they walked, Carol swallowed and tried not to think of that kid. That could have been Milla if Lilac had been arrested, or the other way around if Carol didn’t stop Lilac from attacking that guard. There were far too many opportunities for things to go belly up back there.

Suddenly, Carol felt a pleasant heat emanating from her left. Carol looked and was rewarded with Lilac walking close by, smiling at her.

“Thank you, so much,” Lilac whispered.

Carol smiled back and whispered, “Any time, Ms. Heropants.”

That was all Carol needed.


End file.
